


Parturiency

by dondena



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-15 08:06:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 47
Words: 82,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3439763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dondena/pseuds/dondena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Virility. The aliens are back for Don's babies, and Leo gets his own little gift, with many challenges ahead of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

On the planet Anolis, the new queen, called Devina, was happy in her new role. She was more lenient about her rules than the last ruler, Raven had been.

But as happy as she was in her role as queen, she was still despondent about her child. She had really wanted her child. She was upset that her 'mate,' Donatello the turtle -who had carried her child for 9 months- had told her the child had died in its sleep.

When she was off duty at night, Devina often cried herself to sleep. Her parents wished they could do something for her. It had only been a few months since she had started her job as queen, and one month since the incident about the baby. Both Temmy and Clancy were sad as well that they would never see their grandchild.

At least now that Devina was queen, she had changed the rules so that the queens no longer had to have a child in order to take the throne. Her best friend also helped her, in the new role that she had created for a beta queen. In the event that something happened to the queen, the beta queen would assume all duties in ruling the planet.

Devina continued to report to her Counsel. One of the members of her Counsel saw how sad the new queen was. She knew it was because she had no child to complete her life. And when she felt up to it, she knew Devina would leave and try to find a new mate and try again.

Devina loved children. She knew she would have been a good mother. Now she just needed to find a new mate, but she wasn't quite ready for it yet. She was going to get over the loss of Don's child first. But she would also never get over for what she had done to Donny. She had hated to do that. It had ruined any chances of ever being with him or even being allowed into the family. She knew that with any new males, she was going to take the approach she should have done in the first place.

This Counsel member, whose name was Lavish, was a real good friend of Devina's too. She wanted to go to this Earth planet and find the male that had not wanted to give her the child. She just wanted some answers for her friend.

She would have to get some time off, but she wasn't going to tell her queen where she was really going.

One day, she went to Devina and asked for a few months off. She said she was having some stressful times at her home, and she just needed some time off to sort them out.

Lavish had no family of her own, though she had her parents and some 5 siblings.

Devina was very understanding, as she herself knew of stressful and unhappy, trying times as she was having at the moment with the so-called passing of her child. She gave Lavish 7 months off to sort out her issues; but she would have been willing to give longer. There was always someone in her government to help out temporarily.

With that settled, Lavish went home and gathered some supplies. She then prepared her ship for takeoff. She was going to get to the bottom of her friend's problems. She had to find the turtle.

…

On Earth, the turtle family was living a good life. Donatello was the happy father of twins, Virgil and Akemi. His turtle daughter and lizard/turtle son.

They were just a month old, and now that Devina was out of their lives for good, Don only had to deal with the stress of raising twins. The babies laughed, cried, needed diapers changed, slept, and ate, like all little babies.

Leo looked at the twins every day and each day he wished that he could have children of his own. Though he and his brothers treated Don's children as if they were their own anyway, Leo knew it wasn't the same. And Leo had also been about the closest one to a partner to Don when he had been pregnant.

Don's stomach was still recovering from the surgery. It was healing nicely, but he still couldn't train quite yet. So for now, he as on 'maternity' leave from any strenuous activities. And even for right now, he wasn't even allowed out on patrol.

Don would look in the mirror after bathing and observe the scar that would always be a reminder of how he got his twins in the first place. Remembering how it had started was not the most pleasant of thoughts, but it also reminded him of how he brought the two greatest gifts into the world. How he felt about the mother of his kids, he would NEVER get over what happened for the forced mating on him. All he could do was just try to live his life the best he could, and try to move on. He never wanted to see her again.

He was also working on his inventions again, as much as he was able to anyway. As long as it didn't involve putting too much bending in his middle. But also behind his lab door, because of what happened to him so many months ago, his feelings of fear and anger towards Devina had not gone away. He even still had some bad dreams. He just didn't want the others to see his tears.

Don would try to talk to Leo, Master Splinter, or April about his feelings so they didn't just build up inside him. And it may not have happened to them, but the family and friends had been through many bad things too, so they just talked about the problems, and tried to make Don feel better that none of it was his fault. They knew that he needed support and love to get through his sadness and fears. But he would not blame his twins for their mother's mistakes.

Raph would still get angry at Mikey for pulling pranks on him, and on everyone else, but other than that, he had adjusted to being a good uncle too. It wasn't often that his most gentle side was seen, and although the twins were the offspring of the mother too, he saw more of his brother in his niece and nephew. In a way, being an uncle was just a first step to deciding if he ever wanted kids himself one day.

Raph found out that he did have a patience for kids after all, though he still had a small bit of uneasiness that Virgil was more like his mom, and that she might come back to claim him. Virgil was the one that Devina had seen, but if she found out about Akemi too, he knew there would be trouble. He knew Don still had some guilt, shame, and fears about what happened, but he was at a loss to how to comfort him. He was sure they had done good by not letting Devina have either of the twins.

Mikey was the everlasting childish uncle. He could easily get the twins to laugh at him. And even as goofy and careless as he could be a lot of times, Mikey was very gentle with holding the babies. Don had managed to learn to trust him with holding them.

And Master Splinter was an ever caring grandfather, taking care of the twins like he did back when he cared for his own sons when they were little. And he did his best to try to help Donatello try to overcome his trauma.

Don trusted his family with his life to take care of his kids, and knew they would do all they could to protect them.


	2. Chapter 2

Lavish managed to land her ship on Earth, making sure that her ship was cloaked from prying human eyes. Devina had informed the council that there were humans on this planet that had problems with creatures from other planets visiting, and was prepared to take appropriate precautions to avoid discovery since her appearance would no doubt be frightening to the native population. She was ready to depart from her ship, now that she had landed it.

Lavish was a short thin lizard woman with blondish-red skin, orange-red hair, and hazel eyes. She was a little older than Devina. She was 28.

She had been told that the turtles were all green, shelled reptile-like beings that remained hidden from the humans that inhabited this planet. Like all of her people, Lavish had the ability to make herself invisible. As she departed her ship, she activated this ability so that she could walk around unhindered and unobserved by the humans as she began her search for the turtles. She walked around town and looked at the main beings: the humans. She would have to have a disguise if she was going to walk around like them.

And Devina had also told the members of the Counsel that to get close to the turtles, she had to disguise herself as a human, the turtles were used to the human looks. Lavish would pose as a human as well when she first found the turtles, and would only reveal her true self later on. Her kind just also had the ability to also change their shapes.

She had landed her ship under the cover of darkness, but had waited until morning to go in search of the turtles.

The city in which she found herself in was filled with humans hurrying, to and fro like busy ants on crowded streets and sidewalks; each intent on their own important errands. Lavish tried to avoid running into the humans, sometimes she was successful, other times not as the unlucky humans frowned in confusion as they were bumped by an unseen entity, though this did not seem to give rise to panic or even curiosity, the humans too intent on wherever they were going.

It was only when Lavish came across a red-haired woman that she finally took on a human disguise. The woman had on a purplish dress. Lavish completed her transformation into a human, and continued her search for the turtles, not stopping until she found them.

It was the month of June right now.

….

New York was a large city to be looking for 4 mutant turtles. It had been 3 days now, and Lavish had not seen any signs of the green, reptilian creatures. Three days Lavish had returned to her ship empty handed, becoming more and more frustrated with her lack of success. Unfortunately, it wasn't as if she could just ask a human where they lived and get an answer.

Lavish sat at a corner café drinking some sort of hot beverage that was making her toes curl with delight. She had discovered that humans paid for food and goods with paper, metal, and even plastic. It was called money, and she had relieved a man of his one night when he had decided to corner her in a dark alley one night. Luckily, like all of her kind, she was incredibly strong for her size and was able to take care of herself.

She contemplated what she knew of the turtles and remembered that they were notorious for fighting street gangs. Perhaps it was time to start seeking these gangs out, and hope that she was lucky enough to encounter the turtles during one of their fights. If she had to get violent, she would, but she was going to find out about those turtles.

Having come to a decision she left the café and returned to her ship to prepare for tonight.

Later that night, she ventured into what she had heard the humans call 'mid-town'. She was seeking out a gang of any kind.

The moon was full, lighting up the night as her eyes desperately watched the rooftops, watching and waiting. Suddenly there was a small movement that managed to catch her attention.

'Could these be the creatures that I seek?' She wondered to herself in excitement.

Using her levitation ability, she flew to the rooftops and saw that the dark moving shadows that had caught her attention were NOT humans. These had to be the turtles!

Her kind also had the ability to levitate and if necessary, well, fly for short distances. Just to catch up to whoever they were trying to catch up to, or to hide any trace of themselves so that footsteps wouldn't be heard by enemies.

Lavish began to follow the shadowed figures as they gracefully ran across the rooftops. They were a little bit ahead of her, but she was able to catch up as she flew in no time. She had to fly just to keep up with them, closing the distance enough so that she could hear them talking, but a bit more at a small distance. She still wanted to hear them talk. She had herself cloaked to their presence.

"I don't get why we're here, Leo." An orange masked creature asked.

"Leo? As in Leonardo?" Lavish wondered to herself.

"We're down here because there have been more Purple Dragon skirmishes in this area than in any other part of the city recently, Mikey." The one in blue answered.

"Mikey? Must be Michelangelo." Lavish said in her mind. She remembered Devina telling her about Don's brothers and she knew their names.

Here were two of the turtles, though not the one she was looking for; Donatello. But following these two would surely lead her directly to Donatello. She wasn't letting these two out of her sight.

Soon, Mikey and Leo spotted some street thugs breaking into a jewelry store, which was nothing new to the turtles. They jumped down from the rooftops and put a stop to the thieves before the sound of approaching police sirens echoed through the night. Mike and Leo vanished into the shadows of the rooftops, and left the thieves to the police.

Lavish had watched everything intently. She was impressed by the fighting skills of the turtles. She would learn of this turtle family. Aside from being here for Donatello, she wanted to learn about them so she could know how to play her cards right.

Leo and Mikey soon led Lavish to a manhole cover. They pulled it off and easily entered the dark hole.

Lavish couldn't believe the smell that wafted up to her nose, but she wasn't going to let an unpleasant smell deter her mission. She was presently in her natural lizard form right now, watching invisibly, but if she needed to, she would be able to easily shift into her new human form. Currently, she was intent on observing at the moment, not confronting the turtles just yet. She carefully lowered herself into the hole after the turtles.

After getting down into the sewer, she turned to her left and saw the two turtles heading in that direction. She hovered above the water that she saw on the ground and followed at a distance.

As Leo and Mikey were walking to the lair, Leo suddenly had a strange feeling, like they were being watched.

"Wait, Mikey." Leo said in a low voice.

Lavish halted when they did.

"What's wrong, Leo?" Mikey asked.

"I don't know. I have this feeling like something is following and watching us." Leo said. His eyes were darting around the tunnel for anyone or anything that indicated that they were either being followed or watched and found no indication of either.

Mikey usually got nervous when he had a strange feeling or if his brothers had it too. He looked around, but sensed nothing. He just didn't quite have that strong of a sixth sense as strongly as Leo did.

Lavish had a feeling Leo was sensing her. She stayed where she was and held perfectly still. This turtle was good at sensing irregularities in his environment. She would probably study him further.

"Who's there?" Leo demanded, but no one answered.

"I don't think there is anything down here, Leo." Mikey said after they had waited long enough.

Leo sighed and replied, "You could be right, Mikey. But I just can't shake the feeling that there is someone else here. Ok, let's go home."

The two turtles began moving again, and Lavish continued to follow them. She wasn't ready to reveal herself. She needed to find out where they lived, and more importantly, find Donatello.

Leo and Mike continued on their way to the lair, though Leo had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut about them being followed. He kept on looking back from time to time, though he heard no footsteps or any other indication of anyone else in the sewers with them.

They finally reached the lair entrance, and Leo surveyed the area around the lair one final time before he let Mikey pull the lever to let them inside. He saw nothing, putting the feeling down to being overly paranoid.

Mikey pulled the lever and the wall slid open, letting the two brothers into their lair.

Lavish saw what they did and hurriedly flew through the entrance before it closed behind them and her.


	3. Chapter 3

Once in the lair, Lavish was mildly surprised by what she saw. There was a huge open area that branched off in different directions. She saw Mikey and Leo had made their way to a different room, and she followed, with the hope of them leading her to Donatello.

She entered what appeared to be the kitchen, where Mikey and Leo sought refreshments and started to talk about the evening. Lavish frowned with impatience. This was getting her nowhere. She wanted to find Don, and she knew that he had to be here.

Lavish took herself on a tour of their home. She explored some bedrooms, one a bit messy, Mikey's room. Before long, she came to a room of a significant size full of bits and pieces of machinery. She looked over the scraps of metal and the impressive bits of technology and machines, which purposes were unclear until her eyes fell upon a turtle seated at a computer, wearing a purple mask.

This had to be Donatello.

Lavish looked around the room, and saw no signs of a baby anywhere. She was determined to make sure that the turtle had not just lied to her queen, and kept the baby for himself.

Don was reading about a new scientific theory on quantum physics. He was tired, but wanted a few minutes alone in peace and quiet, now that the twins had finally fallen asleep. He would be going to bed soon, he needed to get some sleep before the twins woke him up to eat again. He was hopeful that soon they would be sleeping through the night. The turtles were more active at night than during the day, but there were exceptional days.

Raph had already gone to bed. Mikey went to watch some TV, while Leo had gone to the dojo for some meditation before bed.

Lavish was now satisfied that she had found her queen's turtle. Now she just had to figure out how she was going to punish him for hurting her friend.

It wasn't long before Lavish heard a strange noise on a radio over by the computer. A whimpering, crying noise.

Donatello groaned and put his forehead against his desk in resignation. Akemi was awake and if he didn't move fast, she would wake Virgil up. He quickly stood and rushed from the lab, wondering again why Akemi was so restless and fussy.

Lavish followed Don into another room, where she was surprised to see an assortment of baby paraphernalia and furniture, along with two cradles. Lavish frowned in confusion. 'Was the child indeed still alive, and if he was, why did Donatello need two cradles? Were the children Donatello's, or were they somehow one of his brother's children and Donatello was just babysitting?'

Don picked up Akemi gently in his arms. "What is it this time, Akemi?" He asked, almost as if expecting an answer from the tiny child.

Akemi stopped crying and started cooing. It seemed she just wanted her daddy to hold her, again.

"I know I already fed you and changed your diaper not too long ago. So you just want me to hold you, right?" Don asked.

The baby turtle smiled up at him. Don couldn't help but smile back. He pulled his arms up and kissed her little head. He then went over to the rocking chair in the corner and sat down. He began rocking her, trying to get her to fall back to sleep.

Akemi was her daddy's girl. She loved to be held. She also seemed to have problems sleeping in her cradle without it rocking. She generally slept more peacefully in her dad's arms; or Leo's.

Lavish observed that Donatello seemed to be good with the baby and cared for it. Lavish noticed that the baby was turtle like in appearance, but would find out later what the baby was. Lavish knew that Devina's child had been a boy and so she knew that this could not be Devina's.

Don didn't sense her presence at all, instead, all of his attention was focused on trying to soothe his daughter, and put her back to sleep so that he himself could also go to bed.

Lavish turned her attention to the second cradle. She levitated over to it and peered inside. Sleeping soundly under a blue blanket was a sleeping baby lizard boy. She briefly looked in the other cradle at the other blanket, and saw that it was pink. The baby that Don was holding was apparently a girl.

Lavish realized that not only had her queen's child survived, but her mate had bore twins. Lavish resisted the urge to announce her presence. She knew she would not be able to take the children with four of the turtles in the lair to stop her.

Don had never told Devina that he had had twins. She knew her queen would want to know of this. They were her babies too.

Leo quietly entered the room.

"Donny?" Leo asked in a low, quiet voice so as to not disturb Akemi. Don looked up from his chair. "What was wrong with Akemi?" Leo asked in concern.

"Nothing," he whispered quietly. "She just wanted me to hold her again. She hasn't stopped fussing all night, Leo. And I'd like to go to bed soon. I'm exhausted, the twins wore me out today." Don said.

Leo smiled gently. "They tend to do that, don't they?" Leo observed with a wry grin. "At least you don't have a job that you have to go to. You get to be a full time dad."

"I would still be on 'maternity' leave if I had a human job. " Don replied with a self depreciating grin at his slight joke.

"It won't be too much longer before you can start patrolling and training again." Leo said quietly as he walked further into the room, looking into Virgil's cradle. "At least he is quiet."

"At least." Donatello agreed with a slight smile. "He's a better sleeper than Akemi is." Don observed while continuing to rock Akemi.

"Can I hold her?" Leo asked as he walked towards Don and Akemi.

Don paused before answering as he looked down at his sleepy daughter. "Sure."

Don stood, gratefully handing his daughter carefully over to Leo.

"How was patrol tonight?" Don asked as he stretched slightly, trying to get the crick out of his back.

"We stopped a jewelry heist, so, nothing too exciting or new. Trying to get Mikey to concentrate more on his surroundings." Leo said. He was now gently rocking Akemi in his arms.

Don noticed how his older brother was looking at his daughter. "Do you wish she was yours?" Don asked, wondering if his brother had wanted children of his own, even though Don knew that the chances of his brothers having children were incredibly slim.

Leo glanced up at his brother and paused before answering. "Huh? Oh, well. Yes. But I wouldn't take this pleasure away from you. I envy you this Donny, but you went through hell to have them." Leo answered, a serious expression on his face.

Donatello gave a curt nod of agreement, pushing any and all thoughts of Devina out of his head.

Leo looked down again at his niece in his arms. She was beginning to fall asleep again.

"I'm just lucky enough to share in your kids Donny. I'm not expecting to have any of my own. We can't interbreed with humans and frankly, I don't trust aliens that much; not anymore." Leo said as Don gave another nod of agreement.

"I'm going to bed, now that Akemi is asleep again." Don told his brother.

"I can put her to bed, Donny." Leo volunteered.

Don gave a nod. "Okay, good night, Leo." Don said as he covered a yawn with his hand.

"Night, Don." Leo said as he looked down at Akemi. Leo could hardly meditate anymore, not since the twins had been born. Whenever one of them cried, or both, he couldn't help but want to help Don take care of them. But he especially loved it when they laughed. They were really cute.

Leo now sat down in the rocking chair and continued rocking Akemi in her sleep.

The rocking motion of the chair began to affect Leo as well. After awhile of just rocking, coupled with a long night of patrolling and training, he began to feel sleepy as well. He shifted his position slightly, Akemi still firmly wrapped in his arms, and he dozed off as well.

Lavish watched the domestic scene with feelings of interest, mixed with anger. She was glad that the twins were being well taken care of, but angry over the fact that Don had lied to Devina about her son, and had hidden the fact that he had bore a daughter as well.

Knowing she would be unable to exit the lair without alerting the turtles to her presence, and knowing that she needed to study their movements better to figure out how and when she would be able to take the twins for her friend, she went to find a more comfortable spot to sleep. Keeping her invisibility stable, she lay down in a chair in the living room and drifted off to sleep. She didn't know where else to place herself. But she wasn't leaving this planet without those twins!


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning, Leo was found in the nursery by Don, who always checked on Akemi and Virgil first thing every morning/night. Akemi was still asleep in his arms. Don went over and took his baby girl out of Leo's grip gently, as to not disturb his brother.

"Leo. Leo, wake up." Don said in a low voice.

Leo was kind of a light sleeper. He awoke to his brainy brother standing over him, and Akemi in his arms.

"Fell asleep in the chair again." Don said.

"Yeah. The rocking motion is comforting, but she didn't cry again." Leo said.

"Nope, and I got some much needed sleep. Now it's time for breakfast, Uncle sleepyhead." Don teased.

Akemi was now beginning to stir herself, as was her brother in his own cradle.

Leo stretched and slowly got up from the chair. He picked up Virgil, and he and Don went down to the kitchen with the twins in each of their arms.

Lavish had stirred too, at the first hint of movement the next morning. She had now seen a gray rat, and another turtle in a red mask that she hadn't seen last night. They had all gone to the kitchen.

Mikey was busy cooking breakfast for the family. Raph and Splinter looked up when Don and Leo finally appeared with the twins.

"Look who finally woke up." Raph said.

"I fell asleep in the chair again, trying to take some of the stress away from Donny last night." Leo said.

"She was a bit of a pain last night." Raph said. "I took care of her twice last night."

"And me two more times." Don said. He yawned as he was still a bit tired.

"Third time, she just wanted someone to hold her." Leo said. "I took her and she fell back to sleep again."

"Sometimes, I'm not sure who she likes better. Donny or Leo." Mikey said from the stove.

"Akemi loves us all the same, Michelangelo." Splinter said. "And we all love her and Virgil the same."

"Yes, but she is picky when it comes to falling asleep, Master." Don said. "I know I can get her to sleep, but she falls asleep all too easily in Leo's arms."

Don felt a little jealous that his older brother had something that contented his daughter more than he could. He gave Akemi to Splinter so he could go get the bottles for his kids. They were both starting to fuss, and if they didn't get their breakfast soon, they would both begin to cry.

Lavish watched as the family prepared for their day to begin. She kept her distance.

The bottles were ready in just a few minutes, and Don took Akemi back. He held her and gave her the bottle. Leo gave Virgil his. Leo and Don were like the perfect parents.

Not too much later, Mikey had breakfast ready for the rest of the family. He came over to the table with 3 plates of eggs and toast. He knew by now that when whoever was feeding the babies was finished, only then would they be able to eat, so he kept a lid on the pan to preserve some warmth. Mikey never fed the twins around mealtimes. He had to be the one who cooked his family's food. And occasionally, Splinter did too.

Once Akemi and Virgil were fed, they were burped, and then they were taken back to their room for diaper changing. Then brought out to the living room, and placed in a playpen. Then Don and Leo went to feed themselves.

By now, Splinter, Mikey and Raph were done eating, and now came over to take over baby duties. Breakfast would have to settle a little first before training time anyway.

Lavish was seeing that the whole family shared in the responsibility of the twins. Don could only do so much by himself.

Two hours after breakfast, it was now time for training. There was another playpen just outside the dojo, so none of the boys would get thrown into it during sparring of any kind. Don still sat in on training. And as much as the boys wanted to have the babies in there just to keep an eye on them, it just wasn't safe for them to be in there when the adults were training.

The twins had gotten used to the sounds of their uncles sparring, and in a few more weeks, Donny would be joining them again.

After training was finished, everyone was left to their own devices. Don watched a bit of TV with Mikey so he could give his son and daughter some attention before they would be handed off to someone else so he would work on his projects. He worked out a schedule during the day for who would be doing what with Akemi and Virgil. And at least two of the family needed to be taking care of the little ones. Two was a handful.

…..

Lavish watched at a distance over the next month. She saw that Don was not a bad father after all. She second guessed that maybe Donatello hadn't wanted Devina to take the twins or even one baby at all, as he really loved his twins.

And in all her time here, she had only gone back to her ship to eat and freshen up. She never touched the Earth food. Not unless the turtles invited her to eat what they ate once she was involved in their lives.

Lavish was going to still make sure that Devina knew she had two kids so she wouldn't be sad anymore.

Another thing had come up on Lavish. She had also began to study Don's blue banded brother, Leonardo, more as well. He was just as attentive as a parent could be as well. Though Leo's other habits or hobbies were interesting to her too.

She admired his strength, courage, compassion, and bravery. No wonder he was considered the oldest and leader.

Lavish was not here for the reason that Devina had been -which had been to start a new family. Lavish was just here to get some answers, and she would get them, when she was ready to introduce herself into the family.

Donny also came back into the training in Lavish's 4th week there. He had much catching up to do.

During his time off for his recovery, aside from taking care of Akemi and Virgil and doing some projects, Don's stomach had healed very well. There would always be a scar there, but his belt covered most of it up. The belt would help to keep the cut stable, and some epoxy glue was also holding it steady.

Don had also lost most of his 'baby fat.' There was still maybe a slight bulge in his lower belly, but with some more exercising and the right diet, it would diminish.

Don still remembered his old moves, from hand to hand combat, to using his Bo staff. He performed good, if not a little clumsily on his first day back in training. His brothers and father encouraged him instead of taunting him, as they knew he had been out of it for the last several months.

Pregnancy and recovery from a c-section birth. Don thought it weird that he had been the one to recover and come back from all that, aside from still recovering from what had started the pregnancy. Don didn't want to think about the horrible thought of being forced to mate. It was still hard to deal with.

Lavish had also studied Raph, Mikey, and Splinter as well.

Raph was a hothead, too wired up for action, but he was a good uncle and caretaker. He was as gentle as any of the others with the twins. His soft side was rarely revealed to anyone, but with the babies, he had to watch himself. And Don had made him swear to never say bad things around Akemi and Virgil. At least the cuss words.

Mikey loved to play with the babies as well. He could always get them to laugh at him. He was practically nothing more than a big kid himself, but he also knew when to act more grown up when handling the twins too. He still managed to pull some pranks on his older siblings, and now that Don was feeling better, Mikey had begun pulling pranks on him as well.

But it was never fun for Don to blow up at anyone. It took something EXTREME to make him blow his top; like broken inventions for example.

And then there was Master Splinter. He mostly kept to himself, except for when his advice was needed. He observed and gave pointers during training, he babysat, and watched his favorite TV shows. He mostly was trying to leave the teaching of the ninja skills to Leonardo now, but he had to make sure that his son was getting things right. As a sensei, as one day, the wise rat knew he wouldn't be here anymore, and he wanted Leo to be a good leader and teacher when that time came.

Splinter spoiled his grandchildren. He always knew that his son Donatello was a good father, but with twins, he needed help. He knew that his son also needed some time for himself and to work on the projects that he also loved. Don needed to protect the lair, so he had to have time to work on some projects. Don was also in charge of the lair's security, and so had to have time to run maintenance and other small details.

He was very proud of his son to have come up with certain times of day when he would give attention to his twins, and when he needed to work.

Don usually played with the kids in the mornings, before and after training. Then a few hours later, he would go to work.

Mikey and Leo took them next during the middle of the day. Raph took them in the evening, though he still had to do patrols as well. But everyone took turns staying home with Splinter at night to watch the babies. And now that Don was recovered enough, he was also going out too. His belt would help keep the injury more stable while it was still healing some more.

And there were also rare occasions when the turtles' closest human friends came down to the lair to visit too. April and Casey adored Akemi and Virgil too. They would one day make valuable members to the turtle family team, as long as they were raised right, and they knew the turtles and Splinter were good with the kids.

Seeing the twins made April think about wanting to start her own family, but would Casey be a good enough dad for them? He was a lot like Raph: A big action man. But she knew that Raphael could be a big softie too. He just didn't like to show it.

Lavish saw that Casey was the perfect best friend for Raph. And April was the best one for Don. And they were great helpers for the family when it came to helping them with big problems and bringing them much needed supplies.

After everything Lavish had observed for a month, from the baby caretaking, to the fights on the streets, and training at home, watching TV and learning some Earth habits of how she might be able to introduce herself, she was finally feeling a bit more ready to come into the picture, but she wasn't going to make it obvious that she wanted the twins most of all. Just to take them back to her queen. She was sure that Devina would come back to Earth to talk to Donatello about what he had done to her. Mainly, lied to her that the baby had died. But she did want to win the turtles' trust too.

To Lavish, Devina had always been a fair person. But she was sure that she was going to be mad at her ex-mate. They had never been official mates, but Devina had called him that just to make it short for the father of her child, or children.

But now, Lavish was really trying to think of how she should officially come into the family's lives. She didn't want to try the helpless damsel approach as Devina had. And she was wanting to get close to one of the turtles. She would have to use him to get close to be able to nab the twins and take them back to Anolis. She didn't exactly want to just take the babies right now because they could be screaming their heads off if they didn't know her, and she wanted the twins to know her too.

Lavish saw that Don was a good soul, but just that what he had done was wrong, in her eyes. But she had more of an eye on his lead brother, Leonardo. He had intrigued her from the first night. Like how he could sense her following him.

And also Splinter could sense something was in the air too. But these Anolis lizard females were masters of stealth. And because both Leo and Splinter had sensed something was not right in the lair, that was why they had wanted to keep such close eyes on Akemi and Virgil, in case that 'something' was dangerous to them. And the twins were VERY precious to their small family.

The turtles needed a future generation.

Lavish wouldn't play the helpless damsel, but she would intercept them on the rooftops. Maybe near April's place would be best. The next time they went there, but she would make sure Leo was going most of all. She wanted to make a good impression on him. 

As the leader, he would have to approve of anyone living there, aside from Master Splinter approving too, and his brothers, as they had the babies to think of now. Don would also be suspicious as well. He wouldn't want anyone in his family falling for the same thing he had.


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks later, Lavish was ready to intercept the boys.

Mikey stayed behind to help Splinter watch the twins, while Don, Raph, and Leo planned to go on patrol, and afterwards, would go to April's for a movie night.

Don didn't like the idea of his babies being out of the lair very much. They just had too many enemies, and the possibility of the Foot or Bishop getting their hands on them was not a fleeting thought. He had had enough of them when he had been pregnant, and although he had encountered both of them only once during his pregnancy, once had been more than enough.

The encounter with the Foot had also brought him into contact with Raven, Devina's rival for the position of the new queen. He could have lost his twins that night if Devina had not found him in time.

By this time, Lavish knew the way to April's apartment. The trio ran the rooftops and Lavish followed, but soon pulled ahead of them, planning on getting close to April's apartment before they did.

For the boys, it felt so good to be out and about, off baby duty for a night, and away from Mikey. They all loved the twins, but they were a handful. Akemi was more so than Virgil. He was so quiet mostly, while she was more restless and constantly needing attention, especially to sleep. And not knowing when to sleep without someone holding her.

Lavish continued towards April's apartment, stopping when she reached a rooftop two buildings away from where April lived. She levitated most of the time. She made herself visible, but she was in human form. She saw the turtles coming, and she hid behind a chimney.

She wasn't going to pretend to be a hurt woman, but she was going to play a homeless one.

As Don, Leo, and Raph passed by her, she finally cried out. "Wait!"

The trio stopped in their tracks and tried to locate the source of the voice, which was definitely female. They saw a redheaded woman, wearing tattered clothes on just a few feet away, hiding behind a chimney.

"What are you doing up here?" Leo asked suspiciously. He was wary right now that a new human had seen them.

"I… uh… am a homeless woman. And I have been running from the Purple Dragons for over a week now. I have no idea why they want me." Lavish lied. She had learned of the Purple Dragons more than a few weeks ago.

"What's your name?" Don asked gently.

Lavish thought for a moment. She had heard some female names on Splinter's television shows, and her real name seemed out of sorts here on Earth, but she wanted one close to her real name.

"Olivia." She finally answered.

"I'm Donatello, but you can call me Don."

"Ok, Olivia, I'm Leonardo, but I go by Leo." Leo said. "Are you sure you have no idea why the Purple Dragons want you? And is there any place that you can go? Anyone who you can stay with?"

Raph was watching her, and he was always suspicious of newcomers, probably a bit more so than Leo, but he introduced himself anyway. "I'm Raphael, but you can call me Raph."

"Nice to meet you and no. I'm just trying to survive out here on the streets without being seen or caught again. And I have no family and no friends to help me. I've had to steal just to get some meals a few times, when no one was looking." Lavish, now Olivia, explained her fake story, as she had to make it believable.

"It ain't easy livin' on the streets." Raph finally spoke with a slight nod of his head.

"Did they hurt you at all?" Don asked.

"Yes, though most of my injuries weren't too bad and have already healed. But the mentality of me is, I don't know where it's going if I can't find a nice place to stay and avoid them." Lavish said. She had the ability to also make the appearance of scars on her skin as well. "I am so scared." She ventured, knowing that she had to sell the lie that she was an innocent.

Leo fell for her story. He knew how she felt as he had felt that way once as well. But she didn't seem mad at all. But he had had a mentality problem at the defeat of the Shredder. Though something seemed off about her story, but perhaps, it was only because he had just met the girl.

Donny also felt bad for her. He had felt bad after his bad encounter with Devina, but he was also a bit more wary of her too. He wasn't going to be deceived a second time by letting his guard down. And he had his children to think about. And he had to be sure that she could be trusted with kids first before he ever let her near them. Their safety was his first priority now, and he was not going to let any strangers near them.

"So, what do we do with her, Leo?" Raph asked.

"Well, we are on our way to see a friend of ours. Maybe she can help you." Leo offered.

Lavish was hoping that he would say that she could go home with them, but she was going to go along with whatever Leo insisted on. But she hoped that she would be allowed to go home with them sooner or later.

"Ok. She's a good person, right?"

"Yes, she is." Don replied. "She's helped us out countless times."

"Ok. Let's go. I want to get off this rooftop. A safe, cozy house and bed sounds good right now, and some food." Lavish said thankfully. She hoped that April would offer her some food, as she was beginning to get low on her own supplies, and she was wanting to try some earth food as well.

"Just a couple more rooftops over, Olivia." Leo said, and the boys and her began to move that way. "Get onto my shell, and I'll carry you across."

Leo lowered himself down, and Lavish was thrilled to jump on him. She was just wanting to start to be near him.

To the turtle however, this woman seemed a bit heavy, for a homeless woman. He thought she should be lighter, but whatever. They jumped the two rooftops over, and then down onto April's fire escape. They walked down and Don tapped on the window.

Lavish slid off of Leo's shell. He rubbed his back a bit.

"Come in, guys." April said.

Raph opened the window, and all 4 occupants climbed in.

"Hi guys. Oh, I didn't know you had a new friend." April said at the sight of the new person beside her friends.

"Hi. I'm Olivia." Lavish greeted April.

"I'm April. How long have you been with the guys?" April asked.

"We found her a few rooftops over just a few minutes ago." Raph stated. "So not long."

"She is homeless, and on the run from the Purple Dragons." Don added.

"Can you help her?" Leo asked.

"I'm sure I can. She can stay here for the time being and I'll see about helping her." April said kindly.

"You have been much kinder to me than anyone in a long time. And I have seen you running about on the rooftops, and wanting to meet you for so long. And the Purple Dragons keep on saying that you are their enemies. And you don't seem like an evil type at all." Lavish said.

"We aren't. And thanks." Don said. "We know more about what true family and friendship is than they ever will."

"Thank you so much." Lavish said sincerely. "But what were you guys coming over here for originally anyway?" Lavish then asked.

"I will get Olivia all settled in and then we can get on with our movie night." April said with a smile.

"We were originally coming here for a movie night, and to get out of the lair." Leo said. "With some new babies down there, it gets to be very overwhelming."

"Babies? How many?" Lavish perked up. She knew already, but she had to play the innocent act to the hilt. "I love babies!" She practically shouted excitedly.

"Calm down, Olivia." April said.

"Two. Twins in fact." Don said. "They are both my kids."

"Aww! Do they look like you?" She asked.

"Mostly. Though one looks more like his mom. And I don't want to talk about her." Don said. "I have one girl, and one boy. My son looks like his mom, and that's all I'm going to say."

Lavish picked up on the shame in his voice. He did not sound proud to have been chosen by Devina.

"What are their names?" She asked next.

"Akemi is my daughter. It means 'beautiful beloved' in Japanese. And my son is named Virgil. It means 'flourishing.' It's an Italian name, much like mine and my brothers." Don answered, recalling the significant meanings of his twins' names too.

"We also have our youngest brother, Michelangelo, who stayed at home to help with babysitting Akemi and Virgil babysitting. And our father, Master Splinter is at home as well." Leo added.

"Michelangelo is also mostly called Mikey." Raph said.

"Your whole names sure are long." Lavish said.

"Master Splinter named us after Renaissance artists." Leo answered.

April had set up her spare bedroom for Olivia and they spent most of the night explaining about their origins, because if Olivia/Lavish was going to be involved with them as a friend, she had to know their stories. Though no mention was made of either Devina, or how Donatello had become a father, as this subject was too personal.

Now everything made sense of how and what the turtles were, and who they were. Lavish loved the stories. They were never boring. But most of all, she loved hearing Leo tell his stories. His soft voice just drew her in. She liked more of a leadership role in males anyway. But she still had not forgotten her mission.

….

The next day, the turtles did agree that Olivia could come home with them after all. From the story she had told, the turtles knew that the PD's were looking for her, then they could find her at April's.

The turtles talked it over with their father, and he felt for her story. She had made a great impression on them. She was pulling off this act real well. Now she didn't have to hide from them anymore. Now she was in!


	6. Chapter 6

The next evening after patrol, they went to April's to pick Olivia up, leaving Mikey home with the twins again, even though Mikey had complained that the twins had cried all night while everyone was away.

When they got back to the lair, Mikey came up to greet them. He didn't even pay any attention to the new guest yet. "Thank heaven, you're back, Donny!"

Don's eyes widened. "Why? What happened, Mikey?"

"Akemi has been crying the entire time you've been gone! She's driving me and Master Splinter crazy! We don't know what to do to calm her down." Mikey all but shouted his explanation. "Sensei's trying everything he can right now."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Don said with a sigh, and immediately went to the nursery. Leo following close behind, as he knew he and Don were the ones she most often wanted to get her to do almost anything.

It was then that Mikey noticed the girl standing beside Raph. "Sounds like you had a rough night, Mikey." Raph said.

"So you must be Olivia." Mikey smiled charmingly.

"And you must be Mikey." She said brightly. "I'm going to be living with you guys until further notice. Can't wait to meet your father." She said.

"Just be prepared. He ain't like us." Raph said, and guided her into the lair.

"Ok. Wow. The size of your home is very impressive. Some real professionals must have made it, right?"

"Yep. But we tend to go from home to home every couple years now, it seems." Mikey said.

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"Enemies destroy our homes. Mostly the Foot." Raph growled.

"Wish there were more humans like you, that know how to accept us for who and what we are." Mikey said.

Lavish liked Mikey's choice of words. But of course, she was different too. "Same here. I am just so different too, and this society doesn't like me either."

Just then, a gray furry creature came up to Raph, Mikey, and Lavish.

"Hello, Child. I am Master Splinter. Leonardo has told me of you coming to stay with us. As long as you do nothing to violate our trust, you can stay with us." Splinter said with a smile. He was trying to be his nicest to their new house guest. And to a woman.

"I am Olivia, and I am pleased to meet you at last, Master Splinter. I have heard the stories of the many adventures you and your sons have had. My own are not so pleasant, and so I am so honored to be here, in a place where I can fit in. And with some of the nicest people I have ever met." Lavish said proudly. "And how is the baby doing now?" She asked politely.

"Akemi has finally calmed down, now that her father has returned. She was still missing him from last night I believe." Splinter said. He was pleased that this woman in front of him seemed to be accepting of both him and his sons.

"Donatello is a good father?"

"Yes. He is a great father. All of us help him out to raise the twins as best we can. We are working as a team. He knows how to settle his daughter down when most of us can't. Or Leonardo can too." The rat said. "But Donatello also has duties that he has to do to protect our home and this city, so we all take turns watching them."

"I don't have any children of my own and I will be lucky if I ever do." Lavish said. There were only females on Anolis, and if there were going to be males on there, the girls had to go to other planets to find them. "And I know they are a lot of work, though I love being around them. How old are the twins anyway? I never asked before now." Lavish asked.

"About 9 weeks now, I think." Mikey stated.

"At least two months old." Raph said.

"Wow. So they were born not too long ago." She said.

"Yep." Mikey said.

"How about we show you to the couch so you can relax now, my Child." Splinter advised, and took one of her hands to guide her to the couch.

"Thank you, Master Splinter. I would love to sit down." She said.

She was guided to the couch and sat down. Splinter wanted to know more about her before he was going to even let her see the twins. Everything had to be about their protection when it came to strangers now. He would have to watch her to make sure she was not a danger to any of their family.

Lavish saw Don hurrying towards the kitchen and wondered why.

…..

Leo and Don had their own hands full in the nursery.

Virgil was hungry, and Akemi was too, but they both also needed a diaper change.

Leo held the babies while Don scrambled to get some bottles. The children had settled down a bit now that 'Mom and Dad' were back. Leo said soothing words to them to try to keep them calm.

Ten minutes later, Don came back in with two bottles of formula.

"Here! I'll take Virgil this time, and you feed Akemi." Don was panting a bit. He was just trying to keep his little ones happy.

"Ok." Leo said and he handed the lizard boy to Don.

Both turtles got comfortable and began feeding the twins to fill their little bellies to keep them content and happy for the first time in hours.

…

After some more talking, everyone was more than ready for bed.

Mikey literally crashed into his bed. Splinter was likewise tired from having been up all last night with a screaming Akemi wanting her dad.

Lavish was a bit tired herself. This had been a big adventure for her, and her new 'friends.' She was going to sleep on the couch for now.

Raph was tired too, but he was still watching Olivia's every move.

And not too long after that, Don and Leo finally emerged from the nursery. They looked exhausted now too.

"So, how they doin'?" Raph asked.

"Better, but they were pretty hungry and upset." Leo said.

"At least we got them fed and changed, and now they are finally asleep." Donny said in a voice laced with exhaustion.

"Hey Leo, with the way Akemi screams, and you seem to be more the one she favors, you might as well move her cradle to your room." Raph teased.

"They need to learn to be a little on their own, and that first step is getting them to learn that they sleep in their own room." Don said in a very parental tone. "But we are always there for them. And she may favor Leo a bit, but she also calms down for me too."

"A bit, Don? She favors me a lot." Leo said. "With the way she is acting right now, why can't we move them to our rooms? That way, when we are trying to sleep, we don't have to come all the way downstairs. Just until they're a little older, and the nursery could be turned back into a guest room, temporarily."

Leo was usually the one giving orders, but this time, the issue with Donny -as the father-he was the one who had to make the decision.

"Give me a little bit to think about this issue, Leo. You may be right. And Olivia can't stay on the couch forever. She needs a room." Don said.

Lavish listened to the conversation from the couch, despite her tiredness. If they moved the twins into their rooms, it would be much more difficult to get them out of here, but if she completely won the family's complete trust, then it would also be easier to get them out as well.


	7. Chapter 7

A few days later, Don came up with his answer in regards to moving the twins from the nursery. It did seem like Akemi did favor Leo more when helping her fall asleep, and giving her attention to calm her down when she was upset. And as much as it annoyed him that his daughter favored his brother more than him, Don finally gave in. Both Akemi and Virgil were going to be moved, Virgil into Don's room, Akemi into Leo's, and the nursery would be turned into a guest room, for awhile anyway. Until the twins were a little older to be exact.

Akemi and Virgil were not always pleased to be around one another all the time. Akemi seemed to annoy her brother by always fussing. Don and Leo believed that she might end up being a very energetic turtle child. Leo would make sure to try to channel her energy when she got older.

Leo felt a bit guilty that he might be hurting his brother's feelings in taking a bit of parental duties away from Donny, but he knew it was only going to be temporary, at least until they found out what the Purple Dragons wanted with Olivia. But this apparently was how the babies were liking it.

Virgil had always resembled his mother, but Don wondered if he had more of her personality, or his. Don knew that he himself was pretty quiet, and Virgil was a quiet baby, except when he needed his basic needs fulfilled.

Virgil had inherited his mom's tail, but that was about the only thing in looks he had gotten from her. But he had Devina's calm demeanor, as well as Don's. But for some weird reason, Akemi had gotten his looks, but she was just a bit more energetic than Virgil. Maybe she could have gotten it from one her uncles? Good question.

Don then thought to himself, that maybe while the twins had been in his belly, Akemi must have been the more active twin.

All the baby stuff was split up into both rooms. Girl and boy stuff. Each baby had their own toys and blankets. Then the nursery was turned into a guest room, with a bed meant for a single person set in it for Lavish to have a room of her own while she was staying with them.

She was ever so grateful, but she said, "You don't need to paint over the walls. I like the baby looking walls. They are so cute."

"Ok. But if you want it changed, let us know." Leo said.

"Thanks, but for right now, the room is just perfect." Lavish said and she walked up to Leo and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

Leo froze for a moment. He had never been kissed before by a girl.

She smiled at him. "Just... thank you for all your hospitality, Leo." Then she turned and sat on the bed to test it out.

Leo took a moment to breath out and relaxed. Could the kiss mean something more? He wasn't sure. It would take time.

He watched her sit on the bed, and lay down on it. She was an attractive woman. But for now, Leo was keeping his guard up. She was still new here, and he knew it had to have been just a thank you kiss.

'Olivia' had been there for a week and a half in visible form, and she hadn't even been allowed near the twins yet. She could hear them crying at times, and laughing. How she longed to hold them all on her own. She wanted to make friends with them so they could trust her too.

Lavish knew that Don was just being protective and wanted to make sure she could really be trusted first, as even Don himself was still wary around her.

…

A few weeks later, Lavish knew the schedule that Don had set up for the twins. She watched and adored how the family handled the babies. But she also learned more about their daily activities when they weren't taking care of the twins.

Mikey always called Leo 'boring' a lot. "He doesn't do anything other than train, train, and then when he is done with training, train a little more." Mikey had complained to her.

Lavish gave a bit of a long sigh to herself. She was watching Leo intently right now in the dojo. She watched as much as she could. She knew that he was the one that she was wanting to get close to.

Leo's feelings of protectiveness and his caring demeanor. His bravery, honor, and compassion drew her in. Raph called him 'Fearless Leader' a lot. And the way his lean body moved, encased as he was in hard keratin, was oddly graceful, his swords dancing a deadly pattern before him.

She did spend a quality amount of time with the leader. He began to teach her of Japanese history, and he even did have a small penchant for drawing too. She was trying her hardest to earn his trust.

Lavish just plain enjoyed his company. But she noticed he also seemed a bit nervous around her too. His breathing would pick up, and he might hurry through a lesson. A reading lesson that is.

In Leo's eyes, he was nervous around her. She made him feel… different, about life. Especially ever since that kiss she gave him. His heart rate sped up, and he got a butterflies feeling in his stomach. He was worried if he would ever shame her, as he did get upset about failing. And even at times, he would just catch her staring at him, then she would quickly glance down. It made him a bit uneasy.

But so far, whatever he was doing to make her feel welcome here, seemed to be right. He even began to teach her the Ninja arts.

During these training sessions, Leo went easy on her as much as he could. But for Lavish, she made sure to keep her human form intact.

At times, she did want to train with him in her lizard form. And she had a tail, which could be used effectively to sweep an enemy's feet out from under them. Or as a whip to keep them off her. But she couldn't betray her form yet. She might let him know one day, but right now was not the right time.

And she hadn't forgotten why she came, but she just had to have the family's complete trust. That way, they could trust her with the twins. But she was also having growing feelings for the leader too, which was slightly complicating things.

At the end of her 8th session with Leo, she finally asked, "Could I finally hold the twins?"

Leo stood tall. He knew she wanted to hold them so badly. "Well, since you have been here a month now, maybe it would be alright with Donny." He said. "But they are his babies, it's his choice, ok?"

"Ok. But Akemi sleeps in your room. Why can't that be your choice if I hold her?"

"Like I said, Don's a protective father. The twins mean everything to him. I care about them that much too, as if they were mine as well. And though I am the leader here, it's up to Don, he gets to say what's best for the twins, and I'll respect his wishes." Leo told her.

Leo understood Don's feelings. Leo was just as protective of his brothers and father. And Splinter had been the same way when he and his brothers when they were kids.

"Master Splinter was just as protective of us when we were younger." Leo said. "But, I'll go and ask Don and see if it is alright. Okay?"

Lavish nodded.

"Tell him I promise I won't hurt them."

Leo nodded and they both left the dojo.

Both were hot and sweating from the workout, though Leo felt his heart racing from another feeling other than a long workout.

Lavish was having the same feelings Leo was having. Butterflies, racing heart, quickened breathing. Could this feeling actually be love, or just infatuation?

…..

Leo entered Don's lab nervously. "Hey, Donny?"

Don turned to face Leo. "Yes, Leo."

"I want to ask a question about Olivia." Leo said.

"What about her?" Don asked.

"Olivia has been here for over a month now, and she's learned so much. I know how protective you are with Akemi and Virgil, but would it be okay if Olivia was able to hold them? She's proven herself to be trustworthy." Leo felt like he was asking his own dad something, as if he was a little kid again.

Don was silent. Thinking. He glanced away from Leo's eyes.

A few minutes later, Don turned back to his older sibling. "Ok. She can hold them. But I want to be there, and you need to keep an eye on her."

"What is with you, Don? Olivia has been with us for over a month and she hasn't done anything to incur your distrust." Leo stated firmly.

"I'm sorry, Leo. It's just the twins are my kids. I don't want anything to happen to them. They are really precious to me is all. Even if Virgil is more lizard than turtle. And ever since Devina... Well, can you really blame me that I am more protective of myself, them, you, and the others?" Don explained his reasoning.

"I understand. But what if Olivia had to baby-sit because we couldn't? She could be useful in that. She said she promises to be careful and won't harm them. She loves kids, remember?" Leo said.

"Alright, Leo. Tonight after dinner, we'll all gather in the living room, and we are going to let Olivia finally hold the twins." Don said. He knew he had to get past his insecurities and suspicions, and not place the actions of one woman upon another, who was utterly blameless, though this was easier said than done.

"That's great, Donny. Thanks." Leo said.

As he left the lab, Don could sense a difference in Leo too. He seemed… more excited, and happier.

Lavish had tried to get closer to Don, and get him to open up with what had happened with the mother of his twins, but he didn't want to talk about it, telling her it was too personal a topic to discuss.

Don could not help but notice the positive effect that Olivia was having on Leo, and he was happy for his brother. He knew his older sibling could use a change in his life. The twins had already brought out a more playful side in him.

Don smiled to himself as a thought struck him. Leo had to be in love, and Olivia must be in love too! Because of just the way Leo acted around Olivia, and how she loved being around him, and how she acted around him, it all made sense now.

Raph, Mikey, and Splinter had noticed this fact as well, but had remained silent on the subject.

Lavish had even been allowed on some of the patrols with them. She just didn't fight the bad guys and hid. Though she was stronger than the humans anyway, but she still had to keep up her act that she was in trouble from the PD's.

That evening, after dinner, the family gathered in the living room, Lavish sitting on the couch and was preparing herself to hold a baby.

Don and Leo brought the twins out of their rooms. Akemi and Virgil had just finished a nap, so they should be good to go to meet a new friend.

Don had Virgil. He figured his son should be held first, as his daughter was more fussy.

"Here you go, Olivia." Don handed Virgil to Olivia, who took Virgil and placed him in her lap.

Olivia supported him and picked him up under his arms, allowing him to stand unsteadily on his legs.

"Aww! Virgil is so cute, Donatello." Lavish said proudly. "He's very handsome, like his father and uncles."

Don smiled. "Thanks." The others blushed a bit too.

Leo sat down next to Lavish. He was holding Akemi in the same manner.

Lavish couldn't resist looking over at her too. She was more turtle looking. This was the first time that she was seeing the twins up this close. It had just taken this long; over a month for Don to get used to a newcomer living in the lair to trust her before letting her even lay a finger on his children.

Virgil looked up at the stranger holding him. She was smiling. "Hey, little Virgil. I'm a friend too. My name is Olivia. I hope we get to be good friends."

The baby boy tried to connect with the new lady, but he didn't feel comfortable with her at all. He began to squirm.

Don took this as his cue to take his son back or he would start crying. "I think he wants to be back with me." Don said. He had gotten up and gently took his son back from Lavish.

"Here. Maybe Akemi will be better." Leo said. The blue banded turtle now handed over Don's baby girl.

"She is so precious too. Hey, little Akemi." Lavish cooed at the baby girl.

Akemi looked up at the new face, and couldn't help but respond by smiling back. She laughed a bit.

Lavish was pleased that at least one of the kids seemed to like her. The baby boy would get used to her in time. The twins were only 3 months old.

Now that she had held them, Don was going to be letting her hold them off and on, when he was watching, or one of his family. He just had the strongest parental attachment to them, like all new parents. But he wanted one of his family with them at all times when she held them. He was still not able to fully trust Olivia. He wasn't sure if it was because of his own issues with strangers, or if there was something about her in particular that he didn't trust. Whichever the case, Don was determined to keep an eye on her.


	8. Chapter 8

Over the coming several weeks, Lavish continued to get ever so close to Leo. She just wanted to be with him nearly all the time. 

His ways and movements, his voice, and now, even his scent was getting to her. 

Despite her mission, to get the twins and bring them back to see their mother, Lavish did love kids herself for real. Though she had no intention of having a family. Once she went back home, and Devina finding out, and perhaps even bringing them back to Earth with her, her job was done. She still had some months left. 

And for Leo, just her sweet ways and wanting to be with him were having a big effect on him. He was happier, more cheerful and playful. Even during sparring. 

During sparring, as she was now even training with all the guys, they noticed that she didn’t seem to get hurt easily, and she could easily right herself quickly if she was knocked over or fell over. It was so unusual for a human woman. But as long as it worked, it worked for her and them. This would be useful in a real battle if needed. But it was so awkward. 

She told them she had been toughened up by experiments just to cover for explanations on that. 

……….

Two months had now passed. 

Leo and Lavish had grown ever so closer. Lavish had made the first move one night. They were on babysitting duty, and the twins were asleep right now. 

They were watching a movie. They were both on the couch, and Lavish moved over to Leo’s side. He felt the movement, and got a bit nervous. 

“Hey Leo. Is it okay if I can get close to you? I’m feeling a little cold.” She said. 

He looked over at her. “Sure.” He smiled at her. 

Lavish moved closer to him and he raised his right arm and put it around her as she snuggled into his chest and shoulder. She breathed in his scent and it made her real happy. Though something else was happening to her too. She just didn’t realize it. 

Leo could smell her scent as well, as it was starting to make him have weird feelings in his body. He clenched his stomach as he felt a feeling in it. And it felt like more than butterflies. 

Leo tried to relax, but he couldn’t. That smell was too strong. 

“Oooh!” He moaned. 

“Leo?” Lavish asked. 

“I’m sorry, Livy. I can’t do this right now.” Leo said, and took his arm back, and made a desperate dash for the bathroom. 

Livy had been the new nickname for her from Leo. 

“I wonder what’s wrong with him?” Lavish asked herself. They had never done anything too serious yet. Not even deep kissing. 

In the bathroom, Leo was throwing up the contents of his stomach. He didn’t know what had caused it. Maybe his nervousness? Or something he had eaten didn’t agree with him. 

Love kinda make people feel differently. And Leo was feeling it. He had to hurl. 

Leo finally stopped gagging and sat back against the wall once he flushed the evidence of vomiting away. “What’s wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way?” He asked himself in a low voice. 

The feeling in his belly was still there, and in a second, Leo hurled again into the porcelain pot. 

………

Lavish could hear the poor turtle gagging in the room. She knew she had done nothing. Maybe he had eaten something that didn’t agree with him. 

When he finally came out of the bathroom, Leo had a hand on his stomach. “I think I need to go to bed a little early tonight, Livy. I really don’t feel good all of a sudden.” 

“It’s okay, Leo. Can I give you a good night kiss?” Lavish asked. 

Leo swallowed hard, hoping to keep any remaining bile down. “Ok.” 

The two of them leaned closer and Leo didn’t know if it was a cheek kiss, or lip kissing. 

Lavish wanted to get much closer than just as friends. She connected her lips to his cheek, as she knew he had been sick a minute ago. 

The kiss deepened a bit more. They both wanted more, but then, Leo’s stomach churned loudly, and the turtle was forced to break the kiss off. 

He waited. Another churn. “Excuse me!” Leo shrieked and ducked back into the bathroom. 

Lavish heard more gagging. “Poor Leo.” She said. 

He went to bed after grabbing a vomit bucket. Lavish stayed away. She stayed up, waiting for the others to return. 

These days, Akemi did seem to sleep a lot better, since she was in Leo’s room after all. 

Leo didn’t have anymore vomiting episodes that night. And the feeling in his stomach was gone by the next day. The things that rest could do for a person. 

But when the others came home later, they just saw Lavish on the couch by herself. 

“Hey Olivia. We’re home.” Mikey said. 

“I know, Mikey.” 

“Where’s Leo?” Don asked. 

“He came down with a stomach bug. He went to bed.” She replied. “The twins were perfect little angels tonight, Donny.” 

“Thanks.” Don said, and everyone else went to bed shortly after.

……….

Lavish continued to pursue Leonardo. And he tried to do likewise. Their feelings were growing stronger for each other. 

Splinter knew that his oldest son needed a friend in his life that would make him happy, and if she turned into a mate for him, he was old enough now to be considered adult enough, that Splinter was all for it, and even encouraged his son. 

Leo had denied it at first, but then he gave in and said he did have feelings for Olivia. It was amazing that in just a short time, a new woman had made him into a different kind of Leo. A happy go lucky one of sorts. And the twins even helped out more with that as well. 

Leo was beginning to feel like this maybe could be his girl for hopefully, life. 

Soon, Leo and Lavish began sneaking out of the lair, and even doing patrols, but those patrols often turned into dates instead. The love hormones were getting too strong to ignore much longer. 

There was a point on one of their dates that Lavish had to ask Leo what was Don’s problem about discussing his kids’ mother. 

“Leo, I must ask what happened to Donatello that makes him hate the mother of his babies so much?” She had to have an answer. Devina had mentioned that she had forced a mating on him, but she just wanted more information from a second opinion to understand. 

Leo gave her a insecure look. “It’s not something he wants to have talked about.” 

“Please, Leo. I just want to understand what happened.” She said. 

“Ok. I wasn’t there, but I know that she really hurt Donny. She scared him so much that he wasn’t himself for a long time. To this day, he still isn’t. She raped him. She forced him to mate with her, and he was just trying to come home. He wanted to be friends with her, but the rape ruined any chance of that happening. She was from outer space. I don’t know how they do things there on her planet, but here on Earth, rape is considered a crime. It’s wrong. It’s abuse and cruel.” 

“Sex should be only happen when both parties are open to it and wanting it. And to us, sex should have a deep meaning based on a committed relationship. And Don just wasn’t up for mating with her. And it was more than beyond shocking to learn that he had actually been impregnated. It was hard for him to accept being pregnant at first, but he came to accept it. Of course, we weren’t sure if there was much of a choice to get rid of the baby, at least before we found out there were twins.”

“Often, it’s not fair for the victim of a rape who gets pregnant to have the rapist’s baby. The baby may be an innocent being, but for the victim, it’s more like a punishment, at least that’s how they feel about it. Most victims would either have the baby aborted, or have it put up for adoption after birth. And in our case, only scientists would end up with them.”

“Don wasn’t sure if the babies could be aborted, but when he first listened to one of the twins’ heartbeats on an exam, something clicked in him that he had a living baby living inside of him, relying on him to take care of it, he couldn’t kill such innocent beings. And they were a part of him. And our small family otherwise would have no chances of a future generation, so those are some of the reasons we have Akemi and Virgil now.”

“But remember, Don’s body was violated. It was so cruel of the mother to abuse and use him like that. It was not an easy truce with her. Don was always worried that she would try to harm him again. She never did, but he would never trust her. And that’s why I think he has felt so wary around you for the longest time. Don is a very caring soul, but after what happened to him, he’s still scared for himself, his kids, and us.” Leo explained. 

Lavish was finally understanding about why Don didn’t want to talk about her queen. To make someone feel like that was horrible after being forced into that. She didn’t want to hurt the turtles, but she just still felt that her queen needed to know of her own kids. 

“Just don’t tell Don that I told you. But I hope you understand now why he doesn’t want to talk about her.” Leo said. 

“Yes, Leo. I get it. But those babies still should have a mother. Especially little Akemi. When she gets older, there’s only so much you guys will be able to do for her, being an only female.” Lavish said. 

“We do have April for that. But if Don ever feels like finding another girl when he’s ready, then the kids will have a new mother, but until then, Don is both parents.” Leo said. 

“It seems more like you’re fulfilling the second parent role. He’s more like Mom and you’re Dad.” Lavish teased. 

Leo blushed. “Yes. But I was the closest to him when he was pregnant. He needed a supporter. Raph and Mikey weren’t the best ones for that task. And to this day, I am still a supporter. I don’t want to hurt him about it, so I just listen to him, and keep my mouth shut about her.” 

Lavish could see this was making even Leo uncomfortable, so she decided to drop it. She had enough information about what Devina had done. They continued on their ‘date.’ 

………..

Another night, the pair of them wandered into old building territory. Old buildings that had been abandoned years ago, and were mainly falling apart. 

Leo spotted an old hotel among them. “Hey Livy, you want to catch a private room, where we can just be together and talk?” 

“Sure. Where are you wanting to go?” Lavish asked. 

“There.” He pointed. “Let’s go.” He said in a playful voice. 

Leo had no more stomach bugs after that night. He figured out that his male hormones were coming to the rise of the possibility of mating a female. He had to take care of when it happened, but he would never force himself upon her. 

Lavish was also more in a very loving mood. A fertile time was upon her too. 

The two of them broke into the old hotel. It was old and rundown, but it was still sturdy enough to hold them. 

Leo looked through many rooms of the hotel, and after searching over ten rooms, he finally sought a good looking room with a bed in it. 

He nodded with his head, and she followed him into it, closing the door behind her, as a habit. 

“I don’t think anyone would hear us.” Leo laughed. 

“It’s a habit of mine. But anyway, what do you want to talk about Leo?” Lavish asked. 

“Us. Like, how do you feel about me?” He asked her. “And so we wouldn’t be interrupted by anyone.” 

She was stoned for a second. But she was glad he had asked her that. “Why do you want to know?” 

“Because, I just… have these strange feelings when I’m around you. It’s like, I almost can’t breath. My heart races, and my stomach feels nauseated. I need to know. Please tell me.” Leo begged. 

Lavish loved this playful game. “Leo, I have been having those same feelings when I’m with you. I think it’s called being in love.” 

Leo was happy to hear of the same feelings with her. “Then, I know that I do have feelings for you, Livy. I love you.” 

“I love you too, Leo.” She said back. 

Leo felt as if he had waited all his life to hear those words from someone special, and who was not one of his brothers or his father.

There was no more words to describe how they felt. The two of them immediately just kissed, forcing their lips together so tightly, and they kept on moving.

Eventually, they had to break apart to take a breath. “So, we do love each other? Truly?” Leo asked. 

“Yes, Leo. I think we do!” She answered happily. 

“Now that we know we love each other, I need to ask if I could try something new while kissing you.” He said. 

“What?” 

“If I could put my tongue into your mouth. I’ve seen it in a few love stories before, and when I developed feelings for you, I have wanted to try it, but make sure its ok with you first.” Leo said. 

“Of course.” She said. Whatever he wanted to do, she was all for it. 

The two of them just wanted each other, now more than they ever wanted anything. Leo inserted his tongue into her mouth, and got to taste her. She even tried doing the same. They were enjoying it. 

Both of their hormones were peaking, and Leo was feeling pain down in his groin. He was hardening fast, and he could only keep himself in for only so long. 

He stopped for a moment. “Usually at a time like this, we usually take clothes off if we have clothes on.” He said. 

“It’s ok, Leo. You can do it. Take my clothes off.” Lavish said. 

Leo smiled. He kissed her some more, and he began slipping her shirt off. The bare breasts uncovered. He took his hands and gently squeezed them. He got a moan from Lavish. 

And now Lavish was fighting to keep human form. Her hormones were driving her to want to mate him so bad. “I have to do the rest myself, Leo, I’m sorry.” 

The girl stood up quick and surprised Leo. She hurriedly stripped her clothes off, and now she felt better. She came back to her lover, and he began stroking her sides and back while they kissed. She then also began untying his belt so it wouldn’t get in the way. She didn’t mind his other gear. 

Leo also took off his sword harness. 

“Oh, Leo!” She moaned out, and he wasn’t even in her yet. 

“What?” 

“Are you hardened?” 

“Yes. And it hurts so badly.” 

“Let it drop out then.” Lavish said. 

With a groan, Leo let his penis slip out of his slit near his tail. Lavish began to stroke it with her hand. But with this, some of his pain was relieved to have himself out in the air. He began to stroke along her belly, and then, even lower to her folds. 

Lavish began moaning as he stroked. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore! 

“Leo, just please get inside me!” Lavish begged. She was on her back on the bed. She wanted her male to get inside her now! 

Leo was more than happy to oblige. But he didn’t want to hurt her either. “Before I do this, have you had sex before?” He asked her. 

“No.” 

“I promise to be careful then.” Leo said. “I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“That’s fine, but please, Leo, I’m dying here! Do it please!” She screamed. 

This turned him on more. Leo immediately lowered his penis to her entrance and very slowly, got the tip in first. He watched her reaction. Not much. Then a little more. A little bit of pain on her face. 

Leo swallowed fast, then pushed himself all the way into her. 

He got a jerk from her hips, and a big scream of pain out of her. 

Leo pulled out most of the way, and saw some blood coming from her. “I’m sorry, Livy. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

“It’s… ok. Please. I must have this.” She moaned back at him. 

“I’ll go slow and you tell me when to pick up.” Leo said. 

“Ok.” 

Leo pushed back in again, and he saw that Livy was trying to hide her pain. But he still thrusted in and out of her as she wanted. He needed this too. 

Lavish moaned again and again as Leo thrusted in and out over and over many times, slowly. Then she urged him to go faster. Her pain had turned into pleasure once she had gotten used to him being inside her. 

Leo was more than happy to go faster and harder. She moaned faster now and cried out many a time in pleasure. 

After a long time, it could have been 20 minutes, Leo was finally spent. He was exhausted, and he had came right inside Lavish. Even Leo had moaned and cried out a few times too, especially after he had sent out his seed into her. Right now, the couple didn’t care about what happened. Being together was all they cared about right now. 

But before Leo could have a chance to pull out, a special tube that female lizards and even turtles have called an ovipositor, came down onto Leo’s penis and seized it. It had a good hold on him.

Leo felt something. “Hey. I feel something weird.” 

“It’s ok, Leo. I just want some more. As we are still connected, can I be on top now?” 

“Sure.” He said, and very carefully, without being able to pull out of her, he lifted her up, and then he laid down on his back on the bed, with her now on top. 

Lavish didn’t want to alarm him by what her body was doing to his penis right now. But she began to thrust onto him, but more from side to side than up and down. It felt good to both of them. But nothing was guaranteed to happen. 

After thrusting on him for the next 15 minutes, the tube in Lavish’s vagina finally let go, and the girl was again spent. So was Leo. But since she had aroused him again, he wasn’t done yet. Now it was his turn. 

He was still on his back, but now, he was just bucking his hips into her. He had to spend himself or else. 

More crying and moaning, mostly from her, and Leo cried out when he came again in a big orgasm. He had his penis filling her all the way inside. 

Lavish leaned over the turtle and kissed him. “You did good for your first time.” She smiled. 

“Thanks. So did you.” Leo said, panting. “Now if you can let me up?” 

“Sure.” Lavish was now able to separate from him. 

His penis slid right out of her folds with a slop sound. She was big time wet from the mating. And he was covered in the juices. Leo’s penis was now limp again. 

“Wait, before you pull yourself in, let’s clean that off.” Lavish said. 

Using her shirt, she cleaned the juices off of him. Then she was done. “There. All done, and we did a good job for our first times!” She leaned into him and kissed him. 

“Yep, sure did.” He said when they stopped again. He now tucked himself back in. For once, Leo felt great. But he had no idea of what had happened to him when she had orgasmed onto him. 

Leo put his belt back on, and Lavish put all her human clothes back on. And together, the two of them exited the old hotel.

……… 

After that, there was more sneaking off together and more mating for the sheer fun of it. The family got suspicious of them, and Leo’s brothers, Mikey and Raph caught them getting into it one night, and that threw off their love cycle entirely. 

It was good in a way that Don hadn’t seen it, at least with her on top, as he would remember what Devina did to him a little over a year ago. 

Raph and Mikey made sure that the two of them went with one of them from now on. That was the deal, or Don would find out. 

If he mated with Lavish, it was his choice. They were in love. But after being caught, Raph and Mikey would annoy Leo, and even Lavish about what they were doing. They could barely get a moment’s peace anymore. But not even Don found out. 

Now they could only get close on the couch watching movies, but with someone else always present. And right now, Leo and Lavish weren’t concerned anything would happen. 

In Leo’s mind, a human and turtle couldn’t procreate anyway. They had only mated for fun, and the need for it. But now, Lavish’s fertile time was now over. The matter of being fertile for her was 3 weeks long. And she and Leo had mated a few times within 3 weeks before being busted. 

Now things got to be a lot more relaxing for the couple. They were still close, but the hormones had died down a LOT. Holding hands and gentle kisses were the only things seen. 

And when they had also mated, aside from Leo needing to pass his seed into her, Lavish’s body had also a need to pass her own seed into a male that was mating her. That was what that tube had been, to hold the male in place, like a tie, and it would send a special seed or two into the male. As males that mated with these females got pregnant instead. But the passing of the female’s seed didn’t hurt the male at all. It was real small. 

Leo had felt those holdings on him when he had mated every time with her. And he didn’t know what it was. But Lavish had kept him distracted by making her own moves on him. And the tie was always 15 minutes. 

After giving up his virginity, Leo didn’t look at Don’s twins the same way again. He still looked at them like a proud dad would, but if it was possible, would he become a dad if he kept on mating? Something could be bound to happen. 

Leo was still a master at getting Akemi to go to sleep. 

And Leo tried his best to do the things he normally did, though getting his mind off mating was hard to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Two weeks later, Leo's testosterone began to decrease, and the new female hormones in his system began to increase.

What had passed into Leo's body had been a special egg cell. It was forming a uterus of sorts right now around the bundle of cells that would become the baby. The baby that would grow inside it would form a little later. Right now, the womb had to adapt to the male's organs.

It had latched on near to Leo's reproductive organs. The baby wouldn't harm them. It would grow above them. The womb would expand as the baby grew, pressing against the turtle's digestive organs.

Leo hadn't noticed any changes, nor had anyone else. He felt fine, and he was still up to doing his regular activities. Especially training.

He still thought in his mind that he and Livy couldn't procreate. So he wasn't watching out for anything.

…

A few weeks later, by a month along, the womb was now done forming and now, a fertilized embryo was forming in it. It was already attached to the lining of the womb. The womb got nutrition from the food Leo ate, and it in turn fed the embryo.

Of course, Leo had no idea what was going on inside him. Though at this moment, it was breakfast time, and Leo's stomach felt a little queasy. Mikey had made eggs and pancakes, but for some reason, to Leo, it just turned his appetite off. Just the smell of it was making him feel ill.

As soon as the food landed on the table, everyone but Leo made a grab for the pancakes. When everyone had settled down again, there was only one left, but Leo didn't even make a try for it. "You can have the last one, Leonardo." Splinter said.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Master. I think I'll just have some tea instead." Leo said politely. He got up from his chair and went to the cabinet to get his tea bags.

"Leo, are you ok?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not very hungry right now." Leo answered.

There were times when Leo would just have tea for his breakfast, but would eat after practice, but even after practice this morning, Leo still felt nauseous.

The nausea lasted a few days. He had been drinking plenty of water and tea to keep himself hydrated, but he hadn't felt up to eating anything.

He was worried about this stomach bug, but he was keeping to himself about it. He didn't want the others to worry about him. He fixed himself some toast to try to eat something, as he was hungry, but still felt too ill to eat anything heavy.

Leo began to feel even more nauseous at night, especially if he ate before bed. And as the days passed, it didn't seem to be getting any better. He began trying to stick to lighter foods such as toast and crackers. Though it didn't help with the nausea, at least he was able to eat a little something, and the smell of the toast and crackers didn't bother him as much as other smells had begun to.

April got him some. He ate them a few times a day, in very small amounts.

Lavish began to worry about Leo. He was sad and miserable now. She noticed that he sometimes winced when he was doing his katas. Did he have some kind of injury that she didn't know about?

Leo just hoped he wouldn't get caught throwing up at night. He didn't want his family to worry about him.

Leo and Lavish still had separate bedrooms, but one night while she had gotten a glass of water and turned back to go to her room, she saw a turtle sneak into the bathroom. As she walked by it, she heard the sounds of vomiting, and the voice sounded like Leo's.

'Was Leo trying to force himself to get sick?' Lavish asked herself.

She listened some more to make sure it was Leo. When the sounds stopped, there was a loud groan.

"When will this stop?" She heard the voice moan.

It was her love alright. She couldn't help but to be concerned. She knocked on the door.

Leo was now leaning against the wall, exhausted. But at the knock, he gasped. What if they had heard him? "Who is it?" He asked.

"It's me, Olivia." Lavish said.

"I'll be out in a minute." Leo said and flushed his evidence away again. He splashed water on his face and brushed his teeth, then he went to the door.

"It's all yours, Livy." He said and tried to go past her to go back to bed, but she grabbed his arm.

"Leo, what is going on with you? I heard you. You're sick again! Now tell me what's going on?" She demanded.

"I don't know what exactly that I have, Livy, but I am awfully sick, but only at night. Please, don't tell the others. I'm doing everything I can to make it better. It's just a stomach bug." Leo said. "It'll be gone in a few days."

"How long has this been going on, Leo?"

Leo looked shamefully down at his feet. "Uh, two weeks now."

"Two weeks! That's too long to be sick, Leo!" She said in a silent way of screaming.

"I know, I know. Please, keep your voice down." Leo lifted his hands up in surrender.

"Leo, if this illness has been going on for that long, you should talk to Donatello as soon as possible." Lavish said.

"I'm going to wait it out a few more days, and if it's not gone by then, then I'll see him. Ok?" Leo said.

"Ok. I'll give it 3 days, Leo. And if it's not gone by then, I'll make you tell him, or I'll tell him, your choice." Lavish crossed her arms over her chest.

"Thanks Livy." Leo sighed. He then gave her a kiss on the cheek and went up to his room. All he wanted to do was sleep at the moment.

At that moment, Lavish was glad that he hadn't kissed her on the lips. Lavish looked towards Leo's bedroom with worry, hoping that he would get better soon.

Leo continued to eat only crackers, toast and even managed a bit of soup. His family was beginning to worry about him. Lavish already knew he was sick. After lunch, she spoke to him.

"Leo, you really need to eat more." She said.

"I know. I eat what I can, but almost everything else makes me sick." Leo said.

"Well, the others are already getting suspicious." She said.

"I know. I have that feeling too, but like I said, two more days and then I will go to Donny." He said.

But before those two days were up, Donny approached him first.

"Uh, Leo, hold up a sec." Don said.

"What's up, Don?" Leo asked, though he had a feeling he knew what Don wanted.

"That's what I would like to know. What happened to your appetite? You don't eat anything anymore. You're starving yourself, and that's not good." Don said.

"You used to do it all the time."

"Yeah, when I was working on projects. Now I don't have time for all-nighters because of the twins. I need my rest if I'm going to be able to look after them every day. I've even gained some healthy weight by eating right." Don said.

"I'm not starving myself, Don. I didn't want anyone to know, but I have a stomach bug, okay? I'll be fine. Just give me a few days." Leo said.

"But if you have a stomach bug, why aren't you in bed instead of heading to the dojo?" Don asked.

"Because I can't stand looking at the ceiling all the time. And I feel fine right now."

"How long have you had it?" Don asked.

"A few days." Leo lied.

Lavish was listening to the conversation between the two brothers from the stairs. She observed that Leo sure liked to hide things about his health. If it went on too long, then she would tell Don, whether her love liked it or not. It wasn't worth him being sick over.

"Ok. Come with me Leo. I can give you something to settle your stomach for now." Don said, and Leo followed Don to his lab.

When he came back out, Leo had some medicine that would hopefully help to calm his upset stomach.

Lavish hoped it would help him.


	10. Chapter 10

A few days later finally came, and Leo was still sick. Lavish couldn't take it anymore. She had to tell Don before Leo got worse.

She strolled into Don's lab, not bothering to knock. She was a bit angry with her love.

"Donatello!" She said.

Don nearly jumped out of his shell. "Hey! Olivia! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Never mind that, but I think Leo is really sick."

"I know of his bug."

"If he hasn't told you yet, I will. He lied to you, Don. He has been sick for over 2 weeks with that bug!" She said.

"What?!" He exclaimed in shock.

"He told me a few days ago, but he said that he would tell you if he was still sick, and he is, and he hasn't said anything to you yet. He's been sneaking off to the bathroom every night, vomiting." Lavish said.

"He's throwing up too?"

"Yes, he is."

At that moment, Leo walked in, ready to tell Don of his problem. He saw Lavish in there too, both occupants looking at him in worried anger.

"What's going on?" Leo asked slowly.

"That's what we would like to know." Don said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Leo frowned at Olivia, the anger on his face apparent. He was going to tell Don, but Olivia had gone behind his back and told his brother before he could.

"What's going on with you?" Don asked.

"I know I've had the bug for over 2 weeks, but it isn't going away." Leo said.

"This sounds serious. Come on, I am going to find out what's wrong." Don said.

"Please Donny. You have to think of something that could be causing my upset stomach." Leo said.

"I know there could be some other disorders that could make you feel this way, besides just a common flu. Do you have any other symptoms?" Don asked.

Leo sighed. "I don't know, smells really bother me, I'm tired most of the time..." His voice trailed off as he shrugged.

"Okay, just give me a bit to look up some information, and I'll get back to you." Don said.

"Thanks, Donny." Leo said as he turned and left the lab.

A thought however struck Lavish as she listened to Leo's symptoms. She herself couldn't become pregnant, but it was a distinct possibility for Leo, since she was an Anolis female. She could have gotten Leo pregnant. She just hadn't thought of trying to be more careful.

She turned to Don. "There has to be another cause of Leo's digestive problem, Donny."

"I know. Leo's usually very careful with the foods he eats and what he drinks. But I'll get onto it right away Olivia."

"There has to be some reason that he's sick." She said to him, silently praying it wasn't what she suddenly believed it was.

"I'm sure I can figure it out, Olivia. I'll call you when I have some possible guesses. And I'll probably have to do a blood test on Leo as well." Don said. He sat down in his chair and went to search the internet right away.

"Ok, because I love him so much, I don't want anything to happen to him." She said and left his lab.

Don looked at her back as she left. 'So, a girl has fallen for Leo.' He smiled. She seemed like a good one. He had noticed that she spent most of her time with him. He got back to work.

Leo went out to the couch and sat down. He wished he knew what was causing his nausea. Sure, he had mated with a girl by now, but she was a human girl. Not like a girl from the planet that Devina had come from. Course, he didn't know Lavish's real secret yet either.

Lavish came and sat down beside him. Leo looked over at her.

"Why? Why did you tell him, Olivia? I was going to tell him." Leo asked.

"Because I was concerned about you, Leo. I just don't want you to be sick." She said. "You are the same when it comes to your family."

"I know. I put my family before my own needs."

"Yes, I have seen that. But you have to take better care of yourself if you want to continue to look out for them, Leo."

"I just don't like it when the others have to take care of me. I want to be able to take care of them. I am the leader and the oldest brother. I should be able to take care of my family when they are in trouble." Leo said.

"Even leaders and big brothers need looking after too, from time to time." Lavish said. "Don't let pride get in the way, Leo. They love you. I love you."

"I can't help it, Livy. I've just always been that way, I guess since Master Splinter deemed me the eldest of my brothers. But I appreciate your honesty." He said.

"Don said he might need some blood from you later."

"Ok. I'll let him have some when he asks." Leo said.

Lavish scooted over next to Leo, and he put his arm around her. "Let's just hope you feel better soon." She looked up at him and even rubbed his belly.

"Yeah, let's hope Donny can find the problem." He said.

…

After some time, Don came up with a few answers to what Leo's possible problem could be. He had a list. He got up from his chair and left the lab to find Olivia and Leo.

He looked in the living room first. He saw the couple sitting on the couch. He went over to get their attention. "Hey guys."

They were nearly half asleep, but snapped out of it. "Yeah, what did you find out, Donny?" Leo asked. They both immediately leapt to their feet.

"I have a list of some possible problems, Leo, but I won't know anything specific without an exam or a blood test." Don said. "If you'll come with me."

The pair looked at each other in worried looks and followed Don.

Once back in the lab, Don said, "You want to sit down Leo."

"Ok." He took the nearest seat in there. Lavish grabbed another. She wanted to be here for her boyfriend too. She had to know what was going on too.

"Do any of the others know of this?" Don asked.

"My problem? No. But I have the feeling that they are worried about me because of how I have been avoiding food." Leo said.

"Yes. They are." Don said. "Ok, Leo. I have a list here of some possible problems. And they all have nearly the same kind of symptoms that we have seen you experience." He handed the list to his brother.

Leo swallowed as he looked at the list.

Gastritis, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Gastroenteritis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Stress.

Leo recognized the ones to do with stomach problems, and the one about stress. He knew he had stress in his life, but if anything, their lives had been less stressful lately, not more stressful. And as for the vertigo one, he was dizzy on occasion, but not very often.

"Uh, Don, what is the BPPV one meant to be?" He asked.

"Dizziness that makes you lose your balance." Don gave its meaning.

Leo shook his head, indicating that his dizziness was not the cause of his stomach problems.

"As for stress, I'm not stressed out. In fact, I feel less stressed out than I have in years." He insisted. "And even if I was stressed, it's never caused me any problems with my stomach." Leo said.

"Well, sometimes things can change, Leo." Don said, "But then... it has to be one of the others."

Lavish didn't even bother looking. She was mainly leaving Don's list up to Leo to understand, as she was not familiar with mutant turtle biology.

"Ok Leo, when does your stomach feel the most irritated?" Don asked.

"Mostly at night, when everyone's supposed to be asleep." Leo answered. "But I just don't understand what could be causing this. I have eaten the same things that everyone else has been eating, and no one else has gotten what I have either."

"I know. But things can always change." Don said. "But what would also help me out more would be if I could take some blood from you, Leo. Then I might have some more of an answer for you."

"Ok." Leo said.

Don got up to get a needle and syringe. Lavish only watched what Don was going to do. She saw Leo now removing his right elbow pad. The blood must be going to be collected from there, she noted.

Lavish couldn't help but wonder what color a turtle's blood was, but knew she was about to find out.

Don came back with the syringe and elastic band. Leo held out his arm for his brother to find a good vein.

Lavish saw Don tie the band around Leo's upper arm. Then Don felt around in the bend of Leo's elbow. It didn't take him long to find a vein. He wiped the spot down to sterilize it, and wiped it off. Then taking the needle, Lavish saw the needle penetrate Leo's skin. The turtle winced a little, but didn't move.

Red liquid came into the syringe immediately. Don filled it nearly to the top. Then he stopped, and he put a cotton ball on top of where the needle was. "Ok, hold that." Don said. He also untied the band.

Leo put his left hand's finger on top of the cotton ball, and Don carefully withdrew the needle. He handled the syringe carefully, and put it on his desk. Then he grabbed a wrapping, and came back and put it around Leo's arm.

"There. All done. You can go now. I'll let you know as soon as I find anything." Don said.

"Thanks Donny." Leo said. He and Lavish left the lab.

Lavish had now seen what color her beloved's blood was. She hoped the answer that came from it wasn't anything bad.

Leo really hoped that Don could find his answer that way. He would just try to go about his normal routine until Don found his answer. He just hoped that Don wouldn't have to do anything more drastic to find his answers.


	11. Chapter 11

Donatello began looking at Leo's blood sample under his microscope. Most of Leo's blood cells looked to be completely normal. "That's odd." He murmured. "If Leo's sick, then how could his cells be normal?" Don asked himself. "I may need a second opinion."

Don wanted to make doubly sure that nothing was wrong with Leo. But the only other one who understood more about reptilian blood would be his croc friend, Leatherhead. He would have to go there. Don was a genius, but there were even things he didn't always understand either.

When he finished all of the tests he was able to run, he carefully packed Leo's blood sample carefully, and he headed to his friend's and let Leo know where he was going.

"Is something wrong, Donny?" Leo asked.

"I don't know yet, Leo. I just really need a second opinion. I'll be back soon. Take care of the twins for me." Don said and left the lair for Leatherhead's.

Lavish now came over. "Where was he going?"

"He was going to Leatherhead's, our crocodilian friend. He is a scientist like Don, and was raised by the Utroms we told you about. Leatherhead also once saved Don's life when he got turned into a monster by Bishop's freak aliens." Leo explained.

"Is this friend nice?" She asked.

"Yes. With the right people, like us." Leo said.

"I would like to meet him some time."

"You will." Leo promised. "But to take my blood to Leatherhead... Something must be puzzling him, or Don didn't understand what he was seeing. Leatherhead was the one who helped him to find out about his pregnancy."

When Lavish heard this, she felt her heart clench with worry. Could this croc friend discover that Leo may possibly be pregnant with her child? If that was possible, then she could be in trouble. As much as she loved it here, she might have to up her escape plan with the twins. She didn't know when Donatello would be back. Looking at a blood sample couldn't take that long, could it?

Lavish had fallen in love with Leo over the time she had been here, but she still had her duty to her queen. She had promised herself that she would deliver them. From the many tales she had been told of the turtles, and about Leo, she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to betray his feelings toward her, but if Don found out she was an Anolis female instead of human, it just had her big time concerned that she would be found out and that because they hadn't trusted her queen, they wouldn't trust her either. Then she knew her relationship with Leo would be over with.

She had expected to use one of Don's brothers to get to the twins and get them to trust her, but she had gotten in more than she had ever expected to be, and had really fallen for Leo. This was a complicated decision, but the chance of her secret being revealed was too great right now. It sparked her decision to get herself and the twins out of here tonight.

She couldn't take the chance of any of them finding out, so she had to get out of here with the twins as soon as possible. She knew Splinter was heading to bed, hopefully remaining oblivious to her actions. And Mikey and Raph were out on patrol, so that just left Leo, who was supposed to be up with her, just on babysitting duty. But if she was going to get Akemi and Virgil out of here, Leo needed to be incapacitated. He wouldn't understand her reasons for doing what she needed to do.

Lavish offered to make Leo some tea to help settle his stomach down, and he readily accepted her offer.

She had some special drugs in her room that she had gotten from her ship, and grabbed the sedative that she would slip into Leo's tea. She wouldn't give him much, just enough to make him go to sleep.

After she made sure he was asleep, then she would make her move.

…

Don got to the croc's home and knocked on his door. Leatherhead answered shortly after.

"Hello, Donatello. What brings you by today?" Leatherhead greeted.

"Hi, Leatherhead. I know I didn't call first, but I came by because my brother, Leonardo, is having some problems." Don said.

"What kind of problems? Come in, my friend." Leatherhead offered as he motioned him inside.

Don followed Leatherhead into his lab. "He's been sick for over 2 weeks now. He's experiencing some stomach problems." Don explained. "I took some blood earlier from him, and there may be something in his blood that you could see that I may have missed. I just need a second opinion. He hasn't been eating and he has been suffering from vomiting and nausea, but I didn't see any abnormalities in his blood, or any elevated white cells to show that he was fighting off a bug of some sort. It might be a more serious condition or disease."

"Has anything changed in Leonardo's diet or activities?" Leatherhead asked.

Donatello shook his head. "The only thing that has changed in his life is there is a girl living with us who has become quite close to Leo."

"Who is this girl?" Leatherhead asked.

"She is a human girl that we took in off the streets so the Purple Dragons wouldn't be after her. She was one of their victims, but since she's been with us, she's been great with us, and she makes Leo real happy. He teaches her stuff."

"Have they been any closer than just good friends?" The croc asked.

"I don't think so. If so, I haven't been told. Though Raph and Mikey have teased them both a bit more lately." Don said. "And I know they kiss and hold hands, and get close on the couch."

"And how is she with the twins?"

"She's great. She's like another aunt to them." Don smiled.

"Well, it is good to hear that Leonardo may have found a companion who fits into your family so well." Leatherhead said with a smile. "Now let's take a look at that blood sample, my friend."

The turtle and croc had now turned their attention to Leatherhead's microscope. Don took the syringe out of his duffel bag and handed it to LH.

The croc secreted some of Leo's blood from the syringe onto one of his micro-slides, then put it under the microscope lens. He began to look over Leo's blood sample. Don waited patiently close by.

Leatherhead looked through everything as he had done with Don's blood almost a year ago. Mostly everything looked fine, but when he began to evaluate hormone levels in his blood, the results were startling. His eyes widened.

"Donatello, I think we have a problem."

Don perked up at that. "What?"

"Come look for yourself." Leatherhead gestured. Don came over and looked into the scope.

Leatherhead pointed out some points in the cells of Leo's blood that indicated hormones. "These are what I saw back when I found out about your pregnancy. The hCG hormone in his blood is elevated."

Don's eyes widened. It couldn't be. "I don't see how this could have happened to Leo." Don stepped away from the microscope, his mind swirling in shock.

"Donatello, as you know elevated hCG levels in males is usually indicative of cancer." Leatherhead said somberly.

Don closed his eyes in horror. "So you're saying that either my brother has cancer, or he has somehow mated with an Anolis female and is pregnant." Donatello stated, his voice deadpan, unable to deal with either possibility.

"Unless there's something he's not telling you." LH said.

"I really hope its not what I think it is. I don't see how it could have happened, unless he would have mated with a female from Anolis, or some evil scientist could have done it to him." Don began to say with a panic in his voice. "But Leo would have told me if he was."

Leatherhead again looked into the microscope, searching for an answer for his friend. "Leonardo also has high levels of progesterone. It is not cancer, my friend."

Donatello felt his heart freeze in terror. "Olivia." He said in a strangled voice filled with horror. His brother's life and the life of his twins were in danger. Don ran from Leatherhead's home, praying he wasn't too late.


	12. Chapter 12

Don had been out of the lair for some time now; Raph and Mikey were out on patrol, and Splinter had gone to bed. Lavish and Leo, aside from waiting for Don to return, were supposed to be babysitting.

Leo had fallen asleep; thanks to the sleeping drug that Lavish had slipped into his tea. "I'm sorry, Leo, but I have to get my queen's twins out of here tonight. I have a feeling their father might suspect something; that I am not who I'm supposed to be. Again, I have to do this, my love, for my queen. I got too far into this with you as it was."

She gave him one last kiss on the cheek, picked up a baby carrier and slung it over her back. She then ran upstairs. She first went into Leo's room, picking the sleeping Akemi up in her arms. She and her brother were about 6 months old now. She carefully placed Akemi into the carrier and then slung it over her back so that Akemi was secured against her body. She then went to Virgil's room. He too was sleeping and Lavish picking up the child did not seem to bother him in the least, remaining sound asleep.

Neither baby noticed Lavish picking them up. Akemi had settled down now at night. She quietly took them downstairs and took the elevator up to the surface. She got out of the warehouse undetected, and then made herself invisible. Conveniently, whatever she touched also became invisible.

She hoped Akemi and Virgil would remain asleep until she reached her ship. She was now in her levitating state so that nothing really would get in her way. She took to the rooftops, knowing that is was safer than on the ground, that way she wouldn't run into any humans.

…

Don ran desperately back to the lair. He pushed the buttons for the keypad to open the door to the lair. Finally, the door lifted and he stumbled into the lair, panting heavily, his heart beating in panic. He had to check on Akemi and Virgil right away, and to warn his family of Olivia's duplicity.

Once the door was wide open, Don wasted no time running up the stairs to the two bedrooms.

"Akemi?" Don ran over to the cradle.

It was empty.

"No!" Don panicked, running to his own room.

He looked in Virgil's cradle and also found it to be empty. Panic clutched at his heart. "No! They can't be gone!" He whispered in disbelief.

He ran downstairs praying that somehow Leo had realized that Olivia was an Anolis female, and had managed to protect his twins from her.

Don entered the living room and felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. Leo was lying on the couch, eyes closed. Don ran forward, fear filling him as he checked his brother's pulse. He found it beating strongly beneath his fingertips. Don tried to wake up Leo up, but he didn't stir. "Leo, wake up!" He shouted at his unresponsive brother.

He came to the conclusion that Leo must have been drugged. Though he seemed otherwise fine, he couldn't wake his brother.

He left the living room and checked all of the other rooms in the lair for Olivia and the twins, but they were nowhere to be found. He then ran to his father's room, unsure of what he would find. His father was also sleeping, but when he shook his father's shoulder, his father awoke.

"Master Splinter, have you seen Olivia or the twins tonight?" Don asked quickly.

"Slow down, my son. Yes, before I went to bed. Is something wrong?" Splinter asked.

"Yes. Olivia and the twins are gone and Leo's been drugged. She… she's an Anolis female!" He announced in panic.

"Are you sure, my son?" Master Splinter asked, his eyes filling with worry.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Where are Raphael and Michelangelo?"

"I don't know where they are. They must have gone out on patrol while I was at Leatherhead's." Don replied quickly.

"Slow down, Donatello. You need to breath. I'm sure she has not gotten far." Splinter said. "Call Raphael and Michelangelo back."

Don immediately grabbed his shell cell out of his belt and dialed Raph's number while he tried to control his rising panic.

A few rings, and then Raph picked up. "Hello?"

"Raph, it's Olivia, she's an Anolis female! She drugged Leo and she's taken the twins!" Don said in a rush of words.

Raph remained silent for a moment before swearing profusely into the phone. "We'll be right there." Then hung up.

"We need to go find her Master Splinter." Don told his father, his voice shaking.

"We will, but we shall wait for your brothers to return. Perhaps by that time, Leonardo will have woken up and perhaps he will be able to tell us what happened." Master Splinter said soothingly. "What was it that alerted you to Olivia's deception, my son?" Master Splinter said, trying to distract Don.

"Leo's blood sample. He's been sick, that's why he's been acting so strange. I just came back from Leatherhead's. Leo knew I was going there. I needed some more help to identify his problem and Leatherhead found it. He saw that Leo's hCG levels are up, just as mine were when we found out that I was pregnant."

Splinter's eyes widened. "You don't mean…?"

Donatello nodded. "Leo's pregnant, and Olivia is an Anolis female." He said in a panicked tone. "And that's why I'm worried about my twins."

Raph and Mikey arrived back home moments later. "Where is Olivia?!" Raph demanded.

"We don't know, Raphael. Right now, she and the twins are missing." Splinter said.

Raph and Mike looked down at Don. He had tears streaming down his face. "We have to find them."

"What about Leo, is he going to be okay?" Mikey pointed at the leader asleep on the couch.

Donatello looked at the couch. "Yeah, he'll be fine when he wakes up, it was just a sleeping drug of some sort. Olivia obviously waited until you and Raph were gone and Master Splinter was asleep before drugging Leo and taking the twins." Don answered in a choked voice.

Splinter picked up Leo's tea cup and smelled it. "There is indeed something else in this cup than the scent of tea. My sons, I will stay and look after Leonardo. You three go out and find Donatello's babies."

"Sensei, Leo will be fine. I need your keen sense of smell to find Olivia and the twins." Donatello told their father. "I also have special goggles in my lab that will allow us to see Olivia if she is invisible." He said running quickly to his lab, retrieving the goggles for himself and his two brothers and running back to the living room.

They all donned Don's special goggles as Splinter tried to catch Olivia's scent, tracking to to the elevator. "Here. She left with the twins this way." Splinter said.

"Are you sure Leo's going to be okay here, all alone?" Mikey asked.

"We don't have a choice but to leave him here." Raph said.

"But then again, she could come back for Leo. Mikey, you stay here and protect Leo." Don ordered.

"Okay, Donny." Mikey agreed, and went back to his oldest brother. "And tell him what's going on when he comes to." Mikey added grimly.

Then Splinter, Don, and Raph exited through the elevator. Splinter and Raph had both noticed that Don was taking the lead right now, but in his state of mind right now, he couldn't be blamed. He was being a worried father. He had to find his kids.


	13. Chapter 13

Lavish arrived at her ship clear across the city. It was still invisible to the public's eye. She brought the sleeping babies on board with her, and laid them in special beds that she had aboard just for babies. She had also made sure to pack some food and diapers from the lair that Akemi and Virgil would need during their long trip.

She wasn't worried about them being scared of her when they woke up, because they knew her. But they only knew her as Olivia the human, not Lavish the Anolis lizard. Right now, on her ship, Lavish morphed from her human form to her lizard form, and stretched, glad to be back in it.

She looked at Virgil and Akemi, who were still sleeping, a twinge of regret filling her. She had hated that she had to leave at such a rushed pace, but she had been worried about Leo's blood sample. It could have revealed everything if Leo was indeed pregnant- which she strongly suspected that he was. But she knew that she couldn't leave Leo for too long to raise their child on his own. She would be back for them.

But now, Leo would be in the same boat as Don, impregnated by an Anolis female, and betrayed by her too.

"I'm sorry for this, Leo, my love, but my queen needs me more right now. I'll be back for you." Lavish said, and started up her ship's engines.

The spaceship took off, still invisible to the naked eye and locked onto the coordinates of Anolis. Devina was going to finally meet the child she had thought she had lost, as well as the other child Donatello had bore in secret.

…..

Don and Raph followed Splinter across the city, their father following Olivia's scent as they darted across the rooftops until Splinter drew to a halt. Across the street and nestled in an open park area, smoke curled suspiciously up from four rings of burnt grass.

"I smell the strong scent of burnt fuel and charred earth. I believe there may have been a spaceship here." Splinter said.

Don nodded in grim agreement as his mind processed the burn marks left in the park's green space.

"There had to be. And this is where you followed Olivia's scent to?"

"Yes." Splinter affirmed softly.

"No! They can't be gone!" Don said, shaking his head back and forth in denial, tears beginning to stream down his face again. "NO!"

Raph gathered Don into his arms. "Sorry Donny. We'll get them back. One way or anotha'."

"We will do what ever it takes to find your children, my son." Splinter agreed. He rubbed his son's shell, though it didn't do much good. There was no comfort anyone could give to a distraught parent when their children were missing.

Realizing that there was nothing else they could do, they slowly made their way back to the lair.

On the way there, Don began to contemplate the ramifications of his children being taken to Anolis, the inevitable knowledge of their existence being learned of by Devina, and the possibility of Devina's presence on Earth. He only prayed that if she did come that she would bring them back with her, and if she didn't... his mind would not contemplate that possibility, because if Devina did not come, he would never see his children again.

….

Back at the lair, Leo was finally coming to. Mikey sat on the couch beside him, just waiting anxiously. He looked over at his big brother as Leo twitched slightly.

"Leo?" Mikey asked.

Leo rubbed his head and groaned. He felt a little dizzy. He opened his eyes when he heard his brother's voice. "What happened? Where's Livy?"

"That's what we were wondering. She drugged you, Leo. She's missing, and so are Donny's twins. Everyone else left in a panic to track them. I was left here to watch over you." Mikey explained.

Leo blinked, trying to process what his brother had told him. "I don't understand. What do you mean Livy's gone, and so are Virgil and Akemi? We have to find them!" Leo shouted, trying to sit up even as his vision swam.

"They're looking, but Leo..." Mikey paused as if not quite knowing how to continue. "We think... Donny thinks that Olivia was an Anolis female." Mike said quietly.

At that, Leo's eyes widened. "What?" He asked in disbelief.

Mike looked away uncomfortably, not really knowing how to respond. At that moment, the door to the elevator slid open, revealing the rest of their family.

"Donny?" Leo asked, his voice shaking slightly at the look of devastation carved into Don's face.

"Did you find them?" Mikey asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer from the looks on his family's faces.

"They're gone!" Raph snarled.

"We were just on our way to help you look for them, after Mikey told me what happened." Leo said. "Master Splinter, I don't understand what's going on." Leo said as he looked desperately to his father for some answers.

"Olivia was an Anolis female, my son." Splinter said. "She was using you, Leonardo, and drugged you so that she could take the twins."

Leo's eyes widened in shock. "Drugged me? She would never do that. She loves me."

"I think she was playing us all." Don finally spoke up, words bitter and angry. "She must have been worried about your blood sample. She must have known that by going to Leatherhead's, I would find out that she wasn't human. Devina must have sent her to spy on us. She was here for my twins all along!"

"Donny, I still don't-" Leo began in confusion.

Then Don stomped up to Leo. "You had sex with Olivia, didn't you?"

Leo felt himself flush with embarrassment, surprised and confused by the question that was almost an attack. He cast a quick glance at Mikey and Raph for a second, but knew neither was going to offer any help or explanation. He turned his full attention back to Don.

"That's a very personal question, Don. But, yes. I did." Leo finally answered.

Don then looked away. "Don't you get it, Leo? She's an Anolis female. Devina did the same thing to me, using disguises and tricks to try to get what she wanted, and it looks like Olivia did the same thing to you! And then she took my kids!" Don's voice broke with despair as he quickly turned, walking briskly to his lab where he shut the door firmly behind him.

Leo stared after his brother in shock, not understanding his brother's words.

"I still don't… Olivia was human." Leo said in denial. "Someone must have taken her and the twins, and-"

Splinter interrupted Leo's rushed words. "Leatherhead found evidence in your blood sample that indicates that you are pregnant with Olivia's child. Donatello knew then that his twins, and possibly you were in danger. He ran back here and found them gone and you sleeping, unable to be roused. It was then that I smelled a drug in your tea, my son."

Raph and Mikey couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Leo's pregnant?" Mikey asked.

Leo couldn't believe this. "No. I can't be. I can't be responsible for all this. I may be responsible for the twins being taken, but I refuse to believe that. Olivia is not one of them! She… she can't be!" Then Leo couldn't stay in front of his remaining brothers and father another second, turning and striding to his room, quickly closing his door behind him with a loud bang of wood against wood.

Raph, Mike, and Splinter all gave each other shocked glances that quickly turned grim.

"This is all hard to take in, Master Splinter. Is Leo really pregnant?" Raph asked.

"As far as Donatello's evidence suggests; I believe he is, Raphael. We have all noticed that Leonardo has been acting so strange lately. Much like Donatello was when he had became pregnant." Splinter said.

"I remember. You're right, now Leo's acting like it too." Raph said.

"So what do we do?" Mikey asked.

"Donatello believes and hopes that Devina will come and hopefully, she will bring the twins. Perhaps if she does, we can find some way to get them back." Splinter explained softly.

"Great. And the last thing we need is her around her again. She always made Donny act unlike himself when she was here." Mikey said.

"Yeah, now Leo's going to be goin' through the same thing." Raph growled. "I know Leo was like a dad to the twins too, but now he's havin' his own! And one of those females was responsible for it!"

"Yes. But now, we must prepare for Devina's arrival; though we have no idea when or if she will be coming back. There is not much more we can do for now." Splinter pronounced grimly.

Everyone would get ready as best they could.

…

In his room, Leo felt as if he was about to cry; which was ridiculous because he never cried. This fact of course only led credence to his brother's claims.

He felt guilty that he could have been responsible for Don's twins getting kidnapped, and he hadn't been able to do anything because he had been drugged. Then, there was the other issue.

Leo didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. Though he knew evidence was what he needed, he just didn't want it to be the answer for his stomach problems.

His mind was just still in shock, unable to process Olivia's deception. He had been used to get to Don's twins. He momentarily wondered why, if Olivia had wanted Don's twins that badly, why hadn't she tried to get close to him instead? Of course, Don had been in no mood to take on a new girlfriend.

Leo had thought that she loved him, but he had been deceived. 'How could she have used me like this?' He wondered.

If she did actually come back, he would be able to confront her, but he knew that there was nothing she could say that would ever allow him to forgive her for what she had done, not just to him -to their relationship- but also what she had done to Don, who had already suffered enough.

His mind shied away with dealing with the fact that his family believed he was pregnant. He couldn't accept this at the moment, and instead, turned his thoughts to Don and Devina. Leo also didn't like the idea of Devina coming back to torment Don more. It was no wonder Don was furious with him, and his brother had every right to be. He had placed their entire family in danger and now because of him, Virgil and Akemi were gone.

The turtles had wanted to make sure that Devina would never find out, but apparently, another one of them had come to Earth to get them for her. But there was another thing that came to Leo's mind: would Donny be wanted for murder too? He had after all, killed their last queen, even if she had deserved it.

Leo knew that Don couldn't avoid him forever. They would have to come and talk about it sometime real soon, and hopefully, before Devina got there.

….

Don was beside himself with worry and angry with Leo. He knew it wasn't actually Leo's fault, having been deceived, but he irrationally needed someone to blame.

'How could he have had sex with one of them?' Don thought furiously. Don wished to be able to tell Leo under better circumstances that he was pregnant.

He knew his older bro would have an even harder time with everything that had happened. He also knew Leo would think everything was his fault, even though it really wasn't.

Well, Leo had been used to get close to the babies after all, but he couldn't have known that his girlfriend was plotting to take Don's babies. And he had been drugged so she could take them while Don, Raph, and Mikey were out of the lair.

This girl had also been real good at disguising herself as a human too; she had not even given off any lizard scent that would have exposed her true identity. But still, Leo or Splinter should have been able to sense something about her that wasn't right. They were the ones that could sense special things. But she had also gotten so close to Leo that his brother had dropped his guard.

Don swore that if anything happened to his kids while they were in Olivia's, or Devina's custody, they would pay.


	14. Chapter 14

Lavish had now finally arrived back on Anolis. It had taken many hours flight, and the twins were now awake and crying to be fed and changed.

She walked over to the little beds where they were. "Ok kids, it's almost time for you to meet your mom. I probably should feed and change you first so you're not so cranky when you first see her."

Akemi and Virgil both looked up at the female voice they had come to know as Olivia, but when they looked up, they saw a blonde skinned female lizard with red hair. They were silent for a moment, but then began to cry again, scared of the lizard who was standing over them.

Lavish knew that they were frightened of her, and so to calm them down, she decided she was going to have to change back her human form again.

She went to prepare some bottles for both of them, made the formula, and warmed them up. She had seen Leo prepare bottles nearly all the time back at the lair. She had liked the look the baby turtle girl had given her when she had fed her one time.

She would feed them before changing them. They had been content to feed before being changed many a time before and then were happy to be changed directly after they were fed. But then, Lavish decided against it. Change first, feed second.

Lavish changed into her human form before she came near the babies again. This time, they were slightly more comforted. She changed the diapers and washed her hands. Then she sat down with Akemi first. She was more used to her because Leo had handled her more often.

Akemi immediately took her bottle. She would take anything at this point. She suckled happily.

"Maybe you could end up with a little cousin, Akemi. The problems Uncle Leo was having back home might have indicated it. I would be your Auntie Lavish." Lavish smiled at her. "But after they find out how I took you two, I have a feeling that I won't be that welcome there anymore. I hated using Leo like that after I had come to truly love him. But I only had a small amount of time I could be there. My duty calls for me to be back here for my Queen, your mother."

Akemi just looked up at the 'human' feeding her. She had no idea who her mom was. Don was her 'mom.' Leo was like her dad. She finished her bottle just as her brother began to get impatient. He was just as hungry as his sister.

Lavish tried burping Akemi, and picking up Virgil at the same time. This was usually a two person job when it involved twins. But no one else was in the ship to help her right now. She had to do this to make the kids more presentable for their mom.

She had Virgil settled into the crook of her arm and the bottle on the table next to her. Virgil was beginning to squirm. He wasn't that used to the woman. Don was always caring for him. "Calm down now, Virgil, if you want your breakfast." She said.

Akemi finally burped. Lavish stood up and put Akemi back in the baby bed. She couldn't hold two babies at once to feed them like this. Then she sat back down to settle down Virgil down again. She wouldn't feed him until he settled down enough. Then his food would be his reward. He couldn't be that fussy an eater, could he? She was just worried that he might try to squirm right out of her hands.

Virgil settled enough after a couple minutes of squirming, Lavish picked up the bottle to show him that food was ready for him. He held up his hands for the bottle, that he wanted it.

Lavish gave Virgil his bottle. She had never fed the baby lizard boy before, but she had seen Don do it. He was so good for his dad. But right now, Dad wasn't there.

Ten to 12 minutes later, he was finally done. She now burped him. It didn't take too long for that.

Now she stood up and walked back over to the baby beds. She picked up the baby supply bag and then placed Virgil and Akemi into a double stroller she had placed on her ship while she was on Earth. The twins were now as ready as they would ever be to be presented to Queen Devina. For the moment, the twins were nice and quiet, having been fed and changed.

Once outside her ship, Lavish had to continue to walk in human form to not scare the babies. Some guards came over and questioned her. They were both female. "Who are you and what are you doing with these babies?"

"Hi, I am a member of Queen Devina's Counsel. I am Lavish. I just got back from my mission to retrieve her baby and found out that she had twins. I have to look like this for the twins to remain calm. That's how they know me." Lavish explained her situation.

"Lavish has been out of office for the last 6 months dealing with family problems." A guard said.

"I lied. I was going to get the queen's baby for her. Here, I am Lavish." The woman said and changed into her real form so they would believe her. "I wanted to surprise my queen so she would be happier and not have to be sad about her child anymore. This is my surprise to her."

The guards now believed her, that she was the Counsel member, Lavish. "Alright Counsel member, Lavish. You should go directly to Queen Devina. She would want to know who was coming back from off the planet." A guard said.

Lavish bowed and continued on, some more guards escorting her. It looked like she could use some help with those babies she was hauling. She knew she could use the help, but she wasn't handing over the twins to anyone but Devina.

Soon, they reached the palace, where Devina and her parents now lived.

Devina was sitting on her throne at this time of day, listening to various advisors and representatives, though at the moment, she was in between meetings. Lavish saw that she looked miserable, but brightened once she saw Lavish.

Devina looked surprised to see her. A guard came forward to introduce the guest. "My Queen, may I present Counsel woman, Lavish and twin babies to see you."

"Thank you Guard. Let her forward." Devina said.

"The Queen will see you." The guard said.

"Thank you." Lavish said and now approached her queen, pushing the stroller forward. When she got before her Queen, she bowed. "My Queen. I have brought you two surprises."

"Lavish, you are back sooner than I expected, but I would like to see your surprises." Devina said.

"First off, before I show you them, I will say that when I asked for my time off, it wasn't because of family problems. I wanted to make you happy, and I had decided to go to Earth to find the one that had made you so unhappy, Donatello. It seems that he had lied to you, my Queen. He actually gave you not one child, but two. He just didn't want you to have them." Lavish explained. "These are your twins, my Queen." Lavish now brought the two bundles up to her.

Devina's eyes had widened at her explanation. She now looked at the babies in her friend's arms. Lavish handed her Virgil first. "This is your son."

"Virgil!" She said.

"Yes. This is him."

"I thought I had lost you!" Devina cried. She now had tears in her eyes. She saw that Virgil had Don's skin color and shell, and her lizard tail.

"And, my Queen, Donatello never told you that you had a daughter too." Lavish said next.

Devina looked back up at her and at the next little bundle in her arms. "Here is your daughter, Akemi. She looks more like a turtle." Lavish said.

Devina looked at the new turtle girl. "She looks exactly like her father."

"Yeah, but she likes her Uncle Leo more. She is the more active twin, more bossy, while Virgil is quieter and likes his daddy."

Devina now looked at Lavish with curiosity. "And how is my… the father, Donatello?"

"He's doing well, busy as ever. The family takes turns babysitting when Donatello leaves the lair. The babies love everyone in the family." Lavish said. "But Donatello was not that trusting of me too much. I think he feared another female would try to, you know, what you did to him; or to one of his brothers."

Devina was glad that Don had recovered well from the birth, but these babies had been away from her for half a year. They didn't know who she was. She wanted to keep her children by her side, but knew she couldn't. She needed answers from Donatello.

"I should keep the twins for myself, but I know Donatello will be very worried about them. I know he'll be expecting me to bring them back to him." Devina said softly.

"What are you going to do with them, my Queen?" Lavish asked.

"You have been a good and loyal friend to me, Lavish. You have brought me my children so that I could see them. Now my parents will even know that they do have grandchildren after all. I think I will keep Virgil and Akemi here for a little while, so my parents and I can get to know them."

"One month, then I'll take them back to him." Devina decreed.

Lavish was pleased that her queen was pleased with what she had done, but she also wanted to return to Leo. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be so welcome next time, and that's why she would only go back when her queen went back to Earth.

…..

That night, Lavish was reunited with her own family. They were happy to have her back. She was also happy to be back in her own home, her own bed, and to be back amongst her own kind. But now that her mission was complete, she deeply regretted what she had done to Leo.

….

Devina finally had the chance to introduce Akemi and Virgil to Temmy and Clancy. Her parents were finally happy to see their daughter so happy, and to finally meet the grandchildren they thought they would never get to meet. Each parent held one baby.

"It's so good to see you happy again, Devina." Temmy said.

"Me too. And so nice to be meeting the little miracles that we thought we were never going to see. I'm proud of Lavish for doing that for you." Clancy said.

"A month that should be long enough for us to get to know them a bit more." Devina proclaimed.

"You did well in making the twins too. They look nice and healthy." Temmy said.

"I think I did really well for only mating one time, though I will always regret the way I did it. I gave him twins. One took after him, and one took after me." Devina said.

But despite how happy Devina and her parents were to meet them, Akemi and Virgil were not happy at all. They wanted their real family back; their turtle family, but that was not going to happen for awhile. The lizard family would now take care of their needs.

Over the month, after the food that Lavish had packed ran out, the twins were started on solid foods, but were still given formula, though different from the kind they were used to.

Akemi and Virgil soon learned to settle down and that these lizard creatures were just as caring parents and grandparents as their turtle family was.


	15. Chapter 15

It was not easy on Don for the next month. He snapped at nearly everyone. He just wanted his babies back. He would have done anything to have them back. He would look at both empty cradles and couldn't help but cry. Akemi's cradle was in his room now. If he ever got them back, Don felt as if he wouldn't let them out of his sight ever again.

The family also felt the loss. The lair had finally been filled with happiness, and now it was filled with nothing but sadness and misery, and no one felt more responsible than Leo. None of this would have happened if he hadn't fallen for Olivia's wiles and tricks.

The family had gotten so used to taking care of them that not taking care of them was close to a physical pain that clutched at their hearts and souls. They all wanted the babies back; it would be the only thing that made them happy again.

Don was more angry and snapped at Leo more than anyone. Leo felt Don had every right to; which also resulted in Leo crying a lot more too, especially because of the new hormones in his system.

Don had finally explained to Leo and given him the evidence that confirmed that he was indeed, pregnant. But Don hadn't given Leo the news in a very friendly or supportive manner. Because of how Don had given Leo the news, it only made Leo feel even worse. This was a very bad time to be expecting a baby because of the stress going on.

Leo didn't want to accept that he was pregnant. He continued to deny it, no matter how much everyone told him that he had to be expecting. He had all the symptoms, but he just kept on telling his family that it was just a virus.

Leo was sick all the time now, not being able to keep much down and having little appetite, he was throwing up any time of day, nauseated, tired, dizzy, and experiencing mood swings. About the only foods he could keep down were toast and crackers. He was now entering his 7th week, and he had a little more of an appetite back, but he was losing a bit of weight since he couldn't keep much food down.

Leo's mood varied, but was usually morose, guilty, and irritated; snapping at Don most of all since Don was the one who insisted that Leo was pregnant, as well as blaming him for the loss of the twins.

Despite Leo's condition, he refused to discontinue his nightly, futile search of the city for both Olivia and the missing twins. And so he continued with his training as well.

Don should've known how Leo was feeling, but his mind was too consumed with worry and grief.

One day, Splinter couldn't stand Don being mad at Leo anymore. He saw how upset both of them were, and knew that the blame Don felt towards Leo had to end. Blaming one another was not going to get the twins back any sooner.

The wise rat went to his brainy son and talked to him. "Donatello, do you truly blame Leonardo for losing the twins?"

"He was babysitting, Master. He and Olivia." Don said her name with disgust.

"Yes, they were. But we had no idea that she was going to drug him to kidnap the twins. That was not his fault, Donatello. Don't you see how he blames himself? And Leonardo is in no condition to be doing this to himself. He needs your support and love now more than ever if he is to get through his own pregnancy." Splinter explained. "I'm sure Devina will do nothing to harm Akemi and Virgil."

"I know she wouldn't hurt them, but it's just the fact that they are not here with me. I miss them so much, Father. I want them back." Don said. "I know I have been distracted and that's because of Akemi and Virgil's loss, I have been ignoring Leo's needs. I know he needs me and I know I do need to examine him to see how his baby is doing, but he's the one who continues to deny that he's expecting."

"Leonardo is going through the loss of the twins too, Donatello. And besides this, he is convinced that Olivia was human and not an Anolis female lizard." Splinter said.

"Those Anolis lizards are masters of deception. Two of them have now used us to get what they want. I'm sure the one that was after Leo will be back for him." Don said.

"Yes. We will still keep an eye out for her too, but right now, my son, you really need to find Leonardo and apologize for being so angry and short with him, and tell him it was not his fault that the twins were lost that night. Being drugged and deceived by Olivia was not his fault. You also need to get him to agree to let you examine him." Splinter said.

Don lowered his head in sadness. He knew his father was right. "I will, Sensei." Don stood and left his room, which he had rarely left over the past month.

Don went to find Leo.

….

Leo was in his favorite place at the moment; the dojo. He was trying to meditate, to clear his mind of all that had been happening lately. Leo had found that meditating with deep breathing and some light exercises did keep some of his morning sickness at bay for a while.

Right now, Leo was just trying to get himself ready for tonight's patrol and to see if he could bring the twins home. He had been going out every night with Raph and Mikey, or just one of them. Don was just not someone that he could get along with right now.

Just then, Leo sensed a presence enter the dojo. From the soft footsteps, he knew it was Don. He opened his eyes to look up at his younger brother. In his fragile state of mind, he hoped he wasn't going to be lectured again. He already blamed himself enough as it was.

As Don walked over to him, Leo saw that Don had a gentler look on his face this time. He watched him as Don now sat down in front of him.

"Leo, I need to talk to you." Don began calmly.

"Go on. It's ok." Leo said.

"What's ok?" Don asked.

"You can blame me for what happened. I know I deserve it." Leo said.

"No, Leo. I came to tell you that you don't deserve the blame for what happened that night. I have just been caught up in my own grief so much that I neglected you. I just miss Akemi and Virgil. It was not your fault that you were drugged. There's nothing we can do when that happens. Olivia deceived us all." Don said.

"I can't believe that I actually fell in love with her. She betrayed me." Leo looked down sadly.

"I know how you feel, Leo." Don said. "The first night I met Devina, I thought she was a friend and then she raped me. I know it wasn't love, but I thought I could at least trust her. After that of course, no matter how nice she tried to come across as, I was frightened of her and I knew I could never trust her again."

"Yeah. We saw the damage she had done to you mentally. You weren't yourself for a long time. But Olivia used me just to get to you and the twins, just to take them away from you. I loved them as if they were my own too, Donny. I would do anything to get them back and to make it up to you." Leo said.

"I know you will. I am sorry for how I've been treating you lately. Your mind is in a fragile state of its own. With you now-"

Leo cut him off. "I'm sick yes, but no, Don, I'm not pregnant. Please stop saying that."

"Leo, you have been sick long enough. I forgive you. Will you please let me examine you? Your blood test came back positive for hCG." Don said.

"I'm fine, Don. I've found some techniques to calm my stomach down. I accept your apology, but I can't rest until we get the twins back. It's time to go on patrol now. Are you wanting to come tonight?" Leo asked.

Don was disappointed that just after having forgiven him that Leo was still refusing treatment and discounting the proof. But the invitation to go looking was too much. "Yes. I'm coming." Don said.

The two brothers went to get ready for patrol. They would go together tonight, though Don knew they wouldn't find his kids because they were off in space. He just didn't want to disappoint Leo.

….

With everything that was happening, Raphael was having a hard time adapting to the scenario that his oldest brother was now expecting a baby of his own. It had been hard enough when it had been happening to Don, and now this. Another one of his brothers had been used by an alien girl and vanished.

Raph was determined to not be seduced by a girl so easily. Olivia had been a nice girl for 5 months and had been on her way to becoming a trusted family member, but then she had vanished with Don's kids for reasons he couldn't understand.

Leo had told him more than once that he was not pregnant and not mention the issue again, but Raph saw that all of his symptoms matched what Don had experienced. Raph just couldn't help but worry about Leo.

Leo could continue to deny it all he wanted, but until he started showing for real, it would be hard to convince him of this. Perhaps the only proof would be when his belly began to expand.

Mikey showed some more enthusiasm about Leo being pregnant, in the hopes of getting another niece or nephew. But he knew his oldest bro didn't want to talk about it, so for the time being, he kept his enthusiasm to himself.

Mikey also didn't like seeing Leo unhappy. He tried his best to cheer him up, but truthfully, everyone was too worried about the twins to take much enjoyment from anything.

Leo would often watch movies with Mikey, either to take his mind off of the loss of the twins, or because he was more and more exhausted with each passing day. But Leo also wanted to help Mikey more in training practice to be more focused. Mikey strongly believed that Leo shouldn't be training anymore, but Leo was too stubborn to listen to him.

Leo wouldn't give up the one activity that meant the world to him; his training.


	16. Chapter 16

Back on Anolis, a month had passed. Devina and her parents had enjoyed getting to know Akemi and Virgil. They were both good babies once they had become comfortable with them. They were both eating soft solid foods now, but on a different kind of formula for infants, which they seemed to enjoy.

When Devina told her Counsel that she was now taking her children back to Earth to see their father again, Lavish insisted that she be allowed to accompany her.

"I would love the company, Lavish. I will need some help in looking after the twins." Devina said.

Lavish had told Devina that she had used Don's brother, Leo to get herself into a position where she could take the twins, but she had not said anything of her and Leo being lovers. So Devina had no idea that Leo could possibly be pregnant with Lavish's child.

Though Leo's possibly pregnancy could affect Devina, Lavish was concerned about if Leo was pregnant, how it would affect her.

Devina and Lavish packed up some baby supplies and prepared the spaceship for launch. They were using the same ship as the one Lavish had used the first time around to go to Earth. Devina was now ready to take the children home and get some answers from Donatello. Her vice-queen friend would take over for her while she was gone.

Devina had taken Don's advice to heart about having a vice-queen. It being an adult friend. Though she did still want an heir rule, it only made sense that the heir be old enough to rule and if something happened to the mother before then, the vice-queen could rule in the in-term.

Devina hoped she would rule for a long time, and she was glad that she had heirs. Her daughter would be able to rule one day, but she was glad she had a son too.

Her son would be just as royal and be able to help his sister rule. Though this was the first time that she had encountered the case of twins. Twins were rare here on Anolis, and when they were encountered, it meant that they were even more special.

Devina believed that it was still important for Donatello to be in their lives. He was their father, but they were her heirs and knew that there was a chance that Donatello would not see it from her point of view.

Lavish decided that she would enter the lair in human form. She still wanted to hide the fact that she was one of Devina's kind. Both she and Devina each carried a baby back to the lair.

It had been awhile since Devina had been to the lair, so she had Lavish lead the way. They had arrived back on Earth, and were in currently invisible.

Lavish was leading the way to the warehouse where she had executed her kidnapping and escape a month ago. She knew that she would be in trouble, but that it had to be done. It had been her whole purpose for coming to Earth in the first place the first time.

Devina saw the warehouse. She was still familiar with it even after 7 months of being away.

"So the turtles still live in the same lair?" Devina asked.

"Yes, my Queen. They haven't moved." Lavish said.

"Donny had told me that they have had to move before. I'm glad they haven't been discovered yet." Devina said.

"I hope not. We both know that they already have to hide from the humans up here just to have a good home. And now that the kids are in the mix, it would be harder for them to have to fight and protect the babies at the same time." Lavish said.

"I would come to save my kids no matter what. We both know that parents of our kind have strong connections with our kids." Devina said. "Even from far away like this when separated."

Lavish knew how to get into the warehouse, and made her way to the elevator, hoping Donatello had not changed any of his security since they had been gone.

On the ride down, Lavish asked Devina, "Are we ready for this, my Queen? To face them?"

"Ready as we'll ever be." Devina replied.

...

The alarm in the lair sounded, and anyone who was asleep was now awake. Everyone rushed to Don's side at the computer.

"Someone's in the warehouse!" Don said. "And they're on their way down right now!"

"Prepare yourselves for a fight." Leo said.

Everyone, even Splinter was awake, alert, and prepared. Their weapons were all pulled out of their holders. When the alarms went off, everyone was sure to have their weapons on them.

The family took up their battle stances and waited. Then the elevator finally opened, and two women stepped out, each carrying a bundle in their arms. One looked human, and the other was lizard-like.

The turtles and Splinter relaxed their poses slightly when they saw who it was.

"Hello to you too, guys. It would look like you weren't happy to see us." Lavish said.

"We're not." Raph growled.

"Devina, what gives you the right to be here?" Leo demanded, even though he already knew the answer.

"My twins, of course. I have brought them back." Then she glanced at Don. "Donatello."

"Devina." Don said. He started toward her to take his babies back, but before he could go much further, she spoke up again.

"Not so fast, Donatello. Who gave you the right to deny me the rights to my children?" She asked in a angry tone.

Don stopped.

"I had never harmed you again after our first meeting, and we made it clear about what was going to happen. What happened to that?" Devina demanded.

Don looked at his family. They knew this was Don's battle. It was something he had to do for himself. Why had he changed his plans?

Donny turned back to her. "Because I couldn't trust you, not after what you did to me. I never wanted to see you again, and I don't want you in their lives. I loved them so much and didn't want to part with them at all, Devina. And I have driven my family insane this past month they were gone, not knowing if I was ever going to see them again. Wondering if you were going to cruelly take them from me like you cruelly ripped so much of my soul away back when we first met. I stupidly blamed Leo for what happened, but I should have laid the blame solely on your shoulders, Devina." Don now encompassed Lavish in his seething glare of hatred.

Devina now looked at Lavish who spoke. "I'm sorry, Donatello, and Leonardo, but it was my duty to bring the twins back to my queen. I was tired of seeing my queen suffer her grief and believed that you had to be punished in some way. I wondered if you had lied and came to see for myself if Virgil had really died. When I discovered that they existed, that Virgil was alive and he had a twin sister, it meant that my queen's mate had deceived her. I was determined to then take them to my queen, and when the time was right, I took them." Lavish explained.

"Actually, in the whole time she had planned this, I had no knowledge of her trying to get the twins for me." Devina then spoke. "It was all a complete surprise, but one that did make me happier."

"And it made us doubt ourselves and made us miserable." Don said.

"I trusted you, Olivia, and you betrayed me and my brothers! You can try to tell yourself that you did the right thing, but you didn't. I see why you did this Olivia, but you had no right to drug me and use me like you did." Leo now spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Leo. But I had to. There was only a certain amount of time before I had to leave anyway. I was only here for my queen, and then for the twins. I never meant to hurt you. You are a good person, Leonardo. And I am sorry that I lied, but I did what I believed was my duty. I am Counselor Lavish, an Anolis female, my duty is to my queen, who is also a dear friend." Lavish then reverted to her original lizard form.

They had known that Olivia was an Anolis female, and so her transformation did not surprise them. Everything about her had been a lie; her name too.

"So you lied about the Purple Dragons, about everything." Mikey stated.

"Yes, Mikey. I tailed you all for a month, observing you. I learned of the Purple Dragons while observing and listening and came up with the story of the Purple Dragons wanting to hurt me to gain your trust." Lavish said.

"So the night I sensed someone watching us, that was you." Leo said. "You were wanting us to lead you right to our lair!"

"Yes. I wasn't going to resort to any violence, but I wanted to know what I was dealing with. I didn't want it to be this way, Leo. I do still love you." She said.

Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing. Her love didn't matter now. She had just been using him. He felt frustrated and angry, tears beginning to form in his eyes; tears he refused to let fall in front of his enemies.

Don spoke then."You used him just like Devina used me!" He snarled.

"Yeah. You chicks got no right to be here!" Raph added. "Just give us back the twins and go, before I do something to you I won't regret."

"It is not so simple, Raphael." Devina began. "I know what I did to Donatello was wrong, and for that I can not express how much regret I have over my actions. I am truly sorry for what I did. On my planet, we are unfortunately shackled to our biology. I had harbored no intention of forcing myself upon Donatello, and regret that I was unable to stop myself from doing so." Devina paused and gathered her thoughts. "I also regret that my counselor and friend caused you pain, both in her betrayal and her kidnapping of the twins."

Lavish's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at her queen.

"But I am thankful to learn of the existence of my son and daughter and I truly wish to be in their lives as they will be the rulers of our planet."

"I thought you weren't this demanding a person." Mikey said.

"Things can change when it comes to something like this, Michelangelo." Devina said to the youngest. "The love of children can change people."

"You have caused my son a great amount of suffering, then and now." Splinter spoke up, his voice serious and containing a hint of anger.

"I know." Devina answered.

"The twins have brought peace and meaning to my son's troubled soul. He loves them; we all do. They are an important part of our family, and Donatello is a wonderful father."

"I see and know what you are saying, Master Splinter, but I have just met Akemi and Virgil, and it is so hard to let them go." She said.

"Devina, I know things work differently on your planet and you say you are sorry for what you have done, so why not actually make it right. Give my brother's children back and leave. Don't ever come back." Leo said, as leader.

Devina studied the family before giving a nod. The women handed the twins back to the turtles. Don and Leo were the ones who grabbed them and held them like they would never let go again.

"They are my kids too. I have every right to see them, Leonardo." Devina said.

"You may be the mother, but betrayers of us are not welcome here!" Raph snarled at her.

"I never wanted to hurt your brother, Raphael, and I was nice all those other times. Why are you refusing me now?" Devina asked.

"Because we wanted you out of our lives for good!" Don snapped at her. "You may have given me two kids, Devina, but you ruined my life for what you did!"

"I never meant to ruin your life, Donny. I did really like you, and we were getting along so well, I thought that time was the perfect time for us to do our deed." Devina tried to explain.

"Leo…" Lavish began, wanting to explain to Leo that she really did love him, and that she was sorry for any pain that she had caused.

"After what you did, I say you aren't welcome back either." Raph growled, cutting Lavish off. "You hurt my older brother, and no one hurts him like that! None of you know anything about love, because you don't hurt the people you are supposed to love."

Devina remained silent in the face of Raphael's accusation.

Splinter took a step towards the intruders. "I believe it would be wise for you and your companion to leave, and I would suggest never returning."

"I had come to respect minimal contact, Splinter. But I am a mother that needed her children to be happy again." Devina said. "Lavish is a friend of mine and a member of my Counsel. She didn't come for anything else but to bring me back my babies. I think I wouldn't have believed her I had kids if she hadn't."

"You'd better listen to what Master Splinter just said, cause after what you did to Donny, what you put him and us through, and after what you did to Leo, you'd better leave while you both still have your lives." Raph growled at the lizard females.

"I understand, but some day, I may need to see them again." Devina said. "They are my heirs."

"I don't care if they are your kids too, I don't ever want to see you again!" Don said angrily. "As long as my family and I are alive, we never want to see your faces again! The next time we see you, our welcome will not be as warm." Don threatened.

Devina got the message loud and clear. "I understand, Donatello. But this is not just about me, this is about the royal blood that runs through their veins."

"I don't care." Don snarled.

Devina studied Donatello and nodded. "Raise our children, Donatello. You need never see me again, but know this, one day, someone other than me may come looking for them to take their rightful place."

"Get out of here now, Devina! And… Lavish!" Leonardo spat out Lavish's name in disgust.

All the turtles had at least one weapon in their hands now, and were ready to put the kids down and fight if necessary.

Raphael and Michelangelo clutched their weapons tightly in their hands.

"As you wish, but let me leave you with this thought, Donatello. You let me believe my child was dead, how does this reflect upon you and your honor? We don't want to fight you, Turtles. It was my right as a mother to know I had living kids, but we brought them back to you. Does that tell you I'm trying to be an enemy?" Devina asked.

"Yeah, after a whole month. If you were a friend, you would have brought them back right away!" Don said. "Not a month later."

"I had to get to know them. Besides, I'm sure you needed a break from baby duties." Devina said.

"They may be handfuls sometimes, but we wouldn't trade it for all the world!" Don snapped back.

"Now get out of here! Or I will make you leave!" Raph snarled at them.

Devina gave a slight nod of her head and motioned for Lavish to follow. Lavish looked as if she was about to protest her queen's silent command, but Lavish took one look at Leonardo's unforgiving face and turned, entering the elevator and watching the door slide shut in front of her.

The turtles and Splinter all took a deep sigh of relief once they were gone.

"At least we have Akemi and Virgil back." Leo said.

"Can I have my daughter now, Leo?" Don asked.

"Sure." Leo said and handed her over. He looked on with parental pride, thankful that Don had his kids back.

"I am never letting you two out of my sight ever again!" Don said with tears in his eyes. "If you guys don't mind, I just want some bonding time with my babies again. They have been gone for what feels like forever. " Don said, and he left for his room.

The family watched him until he got there and closed his door. Then Splinter said, "I know it has been an exciting evening, but I suggest that we try to go get some sleep."

Leo and the others would have time to re-bond with the twins later. Right now, it was more crucial for Don to re-bond with them, as their father.

Everyone had gone back to their rooms, but knew it would be difficult to get back to sleep after what had just happened.

They all ended up staying awake thinking of what had happened and what would happen until after sunrise. It was only then that they all managed to finally fall asleep again.

Training would of course be cancelled for that day.

...

Lavish felt bad that she was not welcome back, but knew she had deserved it.

It didn't take long for Devina to notice that there was something was wrong with Lavish. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's Leo." Lavish said. "I hated betraying him. I still do love him."

"I loved Don too. I know it's not easy to get past, Lavish, but you do have your duties back on Anolis. If Leonardo cannot forgive you for what you did, then you should do as he wishes." Devina said.

"But what if there is another reason besides Leo?" Lavish asked.

"Lavish?" Her queen inquired.

"I never intended to start a family of my own, but it is possible that Leo could be pregnant." Lavish said.

Devina's eyes lit up. "Did you mate with him?"

"Yes. But it was all out of love, not forced."

"If you were fertile, then it could be possible."

"I was in my breeding cycle, my Queen. But what rights do I have to this child if the family won't let me around?" Lavish asked.

"You have always told me that though you like kids, you just never had time for them and didn't understand them." Devina said.

"With my family and duties on the Counsel, I don't have time to be a mother. But ...I perhaps gave Leo the gift of a child, as he has always wanted. I saw how Leo looked at the twins all the time. He wanted to be a dad too." Lavish said.

"Well, that is generous of you." Devina said. "Though you should have a little part of your child's life."

"I don't want to cause them anymore heartbreak, Queen Devina. After what I witnessed down there, it was hard on the family."

"It's different for me. As queen, I need my heirs. Others that are not queen don't have to have a part in their child's life if they don't want to. If I did not know about the existence of my children, I would have tried to find a new male to have another heir for me eventually. I am happy that you brought the twins to me, Lavish, but think about what you want. I won't force you to go back." Devina said.

"I love Leo, but my job is too important to me, and I don't want to cause Leo and his family any more pain."

Devina nodded her head in understanding. "I do not wish to cause Donatello any more pain either. I know my children are alive and well and being looked after. I shall find myself a new mate and perhaps I shall have another heir, one who will rule Anolis."

Lavish gave a curt nod of understanding.

"But Lavish, you will be able to feel when your child is in trouble. You may still want to go when you sense it. And you are stronger than the human men here. If your love is in trouble, and you can feel it, and you may go."

"Thank you, my Queen, but my duties to you will always come first. If Leo is indeed pregnant, he will raise our child well, and his family with help him. It will be better for both of us if I am not in his life, or my child's."

"Yes, but the stress that Leonardo will be feeling will be tense."

"I can't. I love him, but I am letting go of him. He doesn't want me. Like I said, I have important duties to the Counsel." Lavish was just making it clear that she did not want to be a mom.

"If that is how you feel, Lavish." Her queen said as they entered their ship, the engines roaring to life as they left planet Earth for good.


	17. Chapter 17

Don was ever so close to the twins again after getting them back. So were the others when Don finally let them out of his arms. None of them wanted to let them go again.

April and Casey soon found out that Akemi and Virgil were back and were so happy for this.

Leo wished he could have been able to forgive Lavish for what she had done, but he couldn't. He had loved Olivia, not Lavish. He had loved an imposter, a dream, a work of fiction created by Lavish to get what she had wanted. And the pain of that betrayal cut deeper than any blade could.

Leo could only be glad that the Anolis women were out of their lives for what he hoped was for good. At least everything had fallen into a normal routine again, for which he was thankful, especially for his brother Don.

Once the lizards were gone, Don felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders that his family and he had finally told them to never return.

As for Leo, things still weren't going all that well for him. He was heartbroken, and felt a bit lonely. His stomach wasn't helping either. He just went about his daily activities. He still didn't want to believe at what Lavish had done to him, but the evidence was just getting harder and harder to deny any more. And now that she was gone, he was going to be stuck with being pregnant and alone. But, Don had done it alone, so could he.

Leo was trying to eat more food and try to get his appetite back, but the baby seemed to be a fussy eater. All he could do was hope that the morning sickness would pass soon, since he was now beginning to lose some weight.

Leo was in his 9th week now. He still had no idea what was going on inside his body, and he didn't want to know.

Don was a lot nicer now that he had the kids back, but Leo was still denying an examination. He didn't like the way his oldest brother was denying everything. He didn't want Leo to get sick. But nothing else worked. He finally had to talk to April. Maybe talking to a woman might help.

Don had gone over alone, leaving Leo and Mikey watching the twins, while Raph had gone out with Casey.

"I just don't get it, April. I'm really concerned about Leo. He has been sick for so long, and he won't let me help him. He's presenting all the same symptoms when I was in my first trimester." Don said.

"You're thinking Leo is pregnant?" She asked.

"Yes. He mated with Lavish, or as we knew, Olivia. She changed from a human to a lizard right in front us just days ago. And before that I had told him of his blood sample being the proof, but he still doesn't want to believe he's pregnant."

"Well, I can say that Leo is a guy who wouldn't want such a thing to happen to him, but I also get where it's coming from. He shouldn't be pregnant in the first place." April said.

"You haven't told Casey, have you?" Don asked.

"No. Just like I didn't with you."

"I just hope Raph doesn't. Casey would be throwing jokes his way, and Leo has been very sensitive about his emotions these last few weeks."

"Casey knows something is bothering Raph, but he doesn't know what it is exactly. He could just be worried about Leo." April said.

"Yeah, I see the way that Leo looks at my kids and know he wants to be a dad, though I'm sure he didn't want it to happen this way. He is going to eventually want the baby. I know it." Don said.

"Just give him some time, Donny. When he starts showing, he won't be able to deny it anymore. But I do have an idea that might also help get more nutrients into him." April said.

"What?"

"If Leo is pregnant as you say, I can get you some prenatal vitamins for him, and you give him the vitamins every day and tell him that they could also help to settle his stomach some more. He should be taking those vitamins, anyway. But he should take them with his evening meal or right before bed." April advised.

"Ok. How soon can you get them?" Don asked.

"Tomorrow. There is a pharmacy near here, if you come by tomorrow, you can get them." April said.

"Ok. Good night, April." Don said and left.

"Good night, Donny."

…

Don went and got the vitamins from April the next evening. When he got them home, he immediately tore the jar open.

Leo needed to take one daily. Don poured one into his hand and waited till dinnertime to give it to him.

At dinner, Leo was down there to eat some toast and crackers, two foods that his stomach did tolerate.

"Leo." Don said.

Leo was sitting beside Splinter and Raph. He looked up.

"I bought some vitamins that may aid you some more in settling your stomach. Just take this pill with your water after eating." Don said. He now dumped the pill into Leo's hand.

"You're sure it will help?" Leo asked.

"Yes. Once your body gets used to it." Don replied. He just hoped he wasn't wrong. He took some when he was pregnant, but they may have been a different kind too.

Don, Raph, Mikey, and Splinter had spaghetti that night. Mikey wanted pizza, but the smell of it just made Leo want to gag. He didn't need more stomach troubles.

Once he was done with his toast and crackers, Leo swallowed the big pill down with his water. "I hope this starts to work soon." He said. "I'm tired of having an upset stomach."

"Yeah, Leo." Raph said. "You can't keep on denying it. You are having that girl's baby. Nothing stops that kind of stomach problem."

"Raph, just stop saying that. I keep on telling you to knock it off!" Leo snapped.

"Leonardo, what they say has to be true. You didn't know that she was an alien. You are moody, sick, and nothing stops it. You have a picky appetite, can't keep anything down. There is almost no other reason for that." Splinter said.

Don was not about to ask for another exam right now.

Leo got up and left the table. He couldn't take it anymore.

"You think he doesn't want his baby?" Mikey asked.

"I just think he doesn't want to be pregnant." Don said.

"He's a guy. He shouldn't have to be. But after what we dealt with you, Donny, I have to believe it myself." Raph said.

"I know. But don't upset him, Raph. Leo's emotional state isn't very stable at the moment." Don said.

The family heard Leo's door slam and all they could do was just go on eating without him.

….

In his room, Leo was upset, but tried to keep from crying. Why was he really like this? He normally never was, unless one of his family members was frighteningly injured or close to dying.

He just hoped Don's pill would help him. He normally hated taking medications, but if it would help when nothing else had, it was worth a try.

Leo was now trying to piece it all together. Leo had the constant nausea, mood swings, dizziness, vomiting, and now he was starting to have to loosen his belt at times.

He finally felt it was time to stop denying it. There was no getting around it. He had mated with one of those Anolis females and not known she was one of them. And his blood sample had said it all. He was officially pregnant.

Leo looked down at his stomach. He felt his belt on his belly, but he wasn't seeing anything yet. He moved his right hand down the middle of his plastron to see if there was any indication of a swelling.

Nothing, but then, why did he feel like he was expanding already?

If he wasn't expanding yet, he should still be good for awhile. But, pregnant or not, as long as he remained thin, Leo wasn't going to let it stop him from training or going out on patrols. He would make sure to protect his stomach from the blows of his enemies from now on. A blow could be fatal for the baby.

He had now finally accepted his coming fatherhood.


	18. Chapter 18

Over the next few weeks, Leo and his family just tried to get by. The twins were doing fine. 

Leo’s appetite was beginning to increase now, and his morning sickness was starting to decrease. It was much better. Though Leo just thought it was the special pills that he was getting every evening from Don. Leo still didn’t know that they were prenatal vitamins. 

Leo found some increased energy now, and he loved to use it for more training. He still didn’t like his family fussing over him, but he had come to accept he was pregnant now. And Don still hadn’t examined him. 

Don was beginning to get a bit desperate about wanting to examine Leo to make sure his baby was alright and to see how many he was carrying. He had thought it was just one when he carried and it took a kidnapping from Bishop to find out he was having twins. He didn’t want that to happen to Leo. 

Don decided that if Leo refused another exam in about 2 weeks, he was going to have to ask for Raph and Mike’s help in restraining Leo and forcing him to the lab and tie him down. Leo really needed to have the baby examined, no matter how much Leo denied it this time. Or he could have him sedated, and he didn’t want to sedate him, as some of it could affect the baby. 

Leo did start to feel a little bit happier too. He was getting over Lavish as well. He had been miserable about her. But now that he was more over her, he was starting to bring out his playful side a little more too. 

Mikey liked it. Don and Raph were a bit more surprised by it. Don wondered if that was himself months ago. But it got all 4 of them playing games a lot more. But still, until the kids were a little older, unless their human friends watched them, all 4 turtles could not afford to go out on patrol together. One at least always had to help Splinter with them. Or two turtles stayed behind. 

Last week had been Christmas time. Leo’s 11th week. He couldn’t eat too much of Christmas dinner, or he could get sick. But he had managed to keep it down while the guests were there. 

He was glad to see the Daimyo, his son, and Usagi. But nothing was mentioned of him being pregnant. 

Akemi and Virgil were introduced to everyone, who thought they were so cute, and congratulated Don on being a new dad. Leo had noticed it, and only wished to be congratulated too. But he still couldn’t believe he was expecting. But then he went on to be congratulated for being an uncle. 

Leo had loved seeing all their special friends for the holiday. 

……….

At 12 weeks along now, Leo just did have a special ‘glow’ to him. His brothers didn’t want to spoil it. The whole family had come to accept that there was another baby coming, but they just weren’t sure the one who was carrying had. 

One day, during training in the morning, Splinter had Leo and Raph teamed up. It was just hand to hand combat this time. Splinter noticed Leo jumping away a lot more, and Raph was hitting open air more times than he could count. After a deliberate jump away from Raph when he was trying to get Leo in his belly, Splinter decided that was it. 

“Training is done now.” Splinter jammed his cane on the ground. 

“What? But I haven’t even broken a sweat, Master Splinter.” Raph said. 

“I have seen enough.” The rat said. He now walked up to his oldest sons. Leo and Raph were baffled that he had stopped the challenge before it had even gotten started. 

“Leonardo, I have watched the way you are just jumping away from Raphael. He isn’t even getting a touch on you. You have even done the same with Donatello and Michelangelo before. I think you have finally accepted the truth. Am I right?” Splinter stated. 

“About what?” Leo asked. 

“About what is growing inside you.” Splinter pointed. “You are protecting your middle constantly.” 

Raph looked at his brother. No wonder Leo wasn’t letting him get so close. 

“Ok. Yes, Master. I have finally accepted that I am carrying a child after all. I just didn’t want to be pregnant was all, as much as I am wanting a kid of my own. I was also just trying to keep up with training and learning how to avoid blows from enemies if they were to target my middle.” Leo explained. 

Don and Mikey were not even training anymore. All of them were finally happy to hear Leo finally say that he accepted he was pregnant. 

“I am proud of you for finally admitting it, Leonardo. But as much as I hate to do this to you, as I know you love your training,” Leo’s eyes widened. He didn’t want to hear the words. “I will have to forbid you from further training with your brothers.” 

“What?” Leo said in shock. 

“Leo, you knew this day would come.” Don said. “But wait, is it just with us? Or can he still train?” 

“He can still train Donatello, as long as he feels like it. But he must train by himself. I will not have any of you, especially you, Raphael, getting mad at some point and getting Leonardo in his stomach.” Splinter ordered. 

“You know how boring that will be without some of that excitement?” Leo stated. 

“Yes. But it is for your own good, Leo, and your baby’s.” Don said. 

“For now, training is over until evening, my sons. Enjoy yourselves.” Splinter said and left them. 

“And now that it’s settled, Leo?” Don asked. “Now that you have accepted being pregnant, can you please let me examine the baby? I need to see how it is and how many.” Don said. 

Leo sighed. He knew Don was never going to stop bugging him about it if he didn’t examine him soon. 

“If you say no, I can be forced to use other methods of getting to examine you.” Don suddenly said. “This has gone on long enough, Leo.” 

“How’s that?” Leo asked with a little humor. 

“Gentleman.” Don said. 

“I look forward to a challenge.” Raph said, also with a little humor in his voice. 

“Me too.” Mikey added. 

“Leo, don’t make us force you.” Don said. 

Leo saw the seriousness of the situation he had himself in right now. He had denied Don too many times of finding out about his baby. But now that the most serious of cases was over, and he didn’t want stress brought onto himself to stress the baby anymore, he finally gave in. 

“Alright, Donny. You win. I’ll go peacefully and I want to know about my baby too.” Leo said. 

“Awww! I was looking forward to some fun.” Mikey whined. 

“There will a whole lot of fun along the way, guys.” Don said. “Now Leo, let’s go to the lab.” 

Leo followed Don to his lab. Mike and Raph followed, in case Leo might have turned tail and ran. 

Leo knew to go to the table and lay down. He untied his belt. “Are you going to do an x-ray or ultrasound?” Leo asked. 

“The radiation from an x-ray would be harmful to the baby. Ultrasound.” Don said. 

Leo had had that feeling. He looked at Raph and Mikey. He was glad this time that none of his bros were going through this. He waited for Don to have his machine ready. He was just sitting on the table, waiting. 

“Wait, what about Master Splinter?” Mikey then spoke up. 

“What about him?” Raph asked. 

“Shouldn’t he be seeing Leo’s kid too if we are?” 

“Good point, Mikey. Can you go and get him?” Leo asked. He was the closest son to his father. He wanted him here for this. 

Mikey didn’t ask questions. He turned and went to get their father. 

The two returned moments later to the lab. “I am here, Leonardo. I want to see your baby too.” 

“Ok, my machine is now ready. Leo.” Don said. 

Leo knew what he meant and he got himself further up onto the table. Then he laid back on his back. He gave Don access to his plastron. 

“Leo’s not even showing yet. How do we know there is even one in there?” Raph asked. 

“We have all been sure for so long, Raphael.” Splinter said. 

“He’s still in the early weeks yet, Raph.” Don said. “The baby has to be getting big for its size by now.” 

Don had a tube in his hand and was now squeezing some of the gel from it onto Leo’s lower belly. Leo could feel that it was a little bit cold, but he could deal with it. 

Don now picked up the probe and put some gel on it too, then he lowered it down onto Leo’s belly while he turned on the computer screen. He hoped he could get a good look at Leo’s baby. He was sure it had to be in the middle. His was. 

The others were trying to look, but Don didn’t have anything yet. “I’ll let you guys know when I find it.” Don said. He kept on moving the probe around Leo’s belly. 

To Leo, the feeling on his stomach was very ticklish like, but he wasn’t going to laugh. His baby needed to be found. 

It didn’t take Don too long to finally locate an organ that seemed different down in Leo’s lower belly. It was right at the spot where Leo tied his belt, and in the middle line. “I found it.” Don said. 

The others excitedly looked on the screen. They were all now looking at a baby! 

Leo’s breathing picked up. He raised his head to get a good look himself. His eyes widened when he saw what he saw. 

There on the screen, was what looked to be like, a baby turtle! It was very small. But its hands and feet were formed. A little shell was forming on the back. The face looked like them. There was also a little tail. 

Leo and the others were shocked at what they were looking at from inside Leo’s belly. Don pointed out everything, including the spine. Then he pointed out the little blipping in the middle of the baby’s body. 

“There’s the little heart. Do you want to hear it?” Don asked. 

“Shell yes we do!” Mikey said loudly. Then Raph hit him upside the head. 

“Ow!” Mikey rubbed his head. 

“Be quiet.” Raph said. “Yes, Donny, we do.” 

“It will be nice to hear the first sound to hear that new baby is alive.” Splinter said. 

“Leo?” Don asked. 

Leo was frozen in place. He was just still in shock about this. He had accepted he was pregnant, but now it was the shock of seeing what was inside him. 

“I think he’s just surprised at this. I’m going to play the heartbeat for us.” Don said. 

He turned on the sound and moved the probe around to get a good sound coming from the heart. It had a real fast, gushy kind of sound to it. And Leo couldn’t believe his ears either. 

“That… that sound is coming from inside me?” Leo finally asked. 

“Yes, Leo. That sound is coming from a living being inside of you.” Don said. 

Leo couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. In all this time, he had been so wrong. He just couldn’t believe that he was finally seeing some real proof that he was indeed, carrying a child. 

“Ok, now I’m going to move the probe some more, just to see if there are any other babies in there. I wouldn’t want you finding out the way I did about my twins, Leo.” Don said. 

Donny began moving the probe around Leo’s abdomen some more to make doubly sure that there was only one baby inside his brother. 

Leo liked the idea of having more than one child, but for his first time being pregnant, this was scary. He could imagine how scared Don had felt. What if there was more than one, like with his brother? There would be more complications. 

“I’ve done a whole scan of where anymore babies might be, and I only see one, Leo.” Don finally said. 

Leo heaved a heavy sigh. “That’s good, Donny.” 

“How far along is he?” Splinter asked. 

“I’m not sure exactly, Master Splinter.” Don said. “I would have to know exactly when Leo mated to know an estimate. But I can do some research and get back to you. I can say though that he has to be about 3 months along at least, somewhere in there. The baby’s big enough to move, but it’s not big enough for Leo’s stomach to start stretching yet. But it nearly is.” 

Leo glanced up at his brother. “I don’t know exactly the first time. It was just the first time. And I think it was a few times over the next 3 weeks before Raph and Mikey caught us nearly getting into it.” 

“You mated more than once?” Don questioned him. 

“Yes.” Leo replied. 

Don was a bit shocked to hear that, but he had seen how close he and Lavish had been, so it was no wonder they had been able to mate more than once. 

“Ok, if I count back the last 3 months, and 3 weeks, I would say from the last week, let’s say, you could be from 10 to 12 weeks along then.” Don did his math rather quickly. 

“You think the baby’s going to be carried for 9 months?” Mikey asked. 

“Possibly.” Don said. “And maybe Leo won’t deliver as early as I did.” 

“You carried to a good term, Donatello. Akemi and Virgil were just fine.” Splinter said. 

“And counting up the months, Leo should be due in late June to early July if he carries the 9 months.” Don added on to his statement. 

Don now took the probe off of Leo’s belly, and turned off the screen. He had snapped a picture of the embryo too and would be printing off momentarily. 

Don gave Leo a towel and he began to wipe the gel off his stomach. Yuck! Sticky! Then he tied his belt back on. 

“There Donny. You had your exam on me. Happy now?” Leo asked. 

“Yes. Much happier. And now you have the most proof of all that you are pregnant.” Don answered. 

But a last saying bothered Leo. “What about the delivery? Will I be ok to deliver?” He asked. 

“Let’s worry about that at a later time, Leo. It might be the same way as mine was. You will probably have to have a c-section too. We’ll make sure to take real good care of you and your baby.” Don said. 

“I know, but the thought of the birth scares me. It was scary enough when you went into labor.” Leo said. 

“I know.” Don said. Then the printer printed out a sonogram. Don picked it up and held it up to the light. 

The embryo stood out in its womb bed. It looked like a real tiny turtle. 

Leo wondered exactly where the baby was in his belly. He knew it was down low, but where was it attached to him? That was what he wanted to know. He knew that this baby ate everything he ate, absorbed his energy for itself, made him sick right now, and so on. 

And as this fetus would get bigger, Leo knew that the baby would put more pressure on his internal organs, and also begin moving around inside him, and he would be sure to feel all of it. He had seen it move on the screen, but he couldn’t feel it right now. 

But Leo wanted to downright know where this baby was in his belly. He would need to go to Leatherhead’s and use his whole sonogram machine with his help to find out where it was, and would it cause him harm? Leo sure hoped not. 

Aside from just typical nausea caused from morning sickness, Leo did breathing exercises, ate some small meals, took his vitamins and such. Got rest at night, as long as he could anyway. He was already doing some things right without even knowing it. 

“Don, would it alright if I used your computer to look up some information about being pregnant?” Leo asked. 

“Sure. Go right ahead.” Don said. 

Raph, Mikey, and Splinter left the lab when everything was secure about Leo and his baby. 

Leo just really needed some information. Things wouldn’t be easy for him without it. He knew about the early pregnancy symptoms, but what to do with the remainder of the time he had it. Then he had to worry about the upcoming months of starting to get fat. 

The lead turtle didn’t like the idea of getting fat and having to quit training completely. It just wasn’t him. But, when with child, sometimes sacrifices had to be made. 

………..

After looking on the internet, he found some very helpful tips on dealing with morning sickness that he wished he had found weeks ago. 

Eat a lot of small meals, adding protein to go with the snacks, drinking some red raspberry leaf tea, or mint tea. When it came to carbonated drinks, it said some sparkling water with fruit juice, using ginger. And using ginger when he was nauseated could help too. He also needed to be taking B-complex vitamins. 

He knew about getting plenty of rest. But he also needed to take it easy when it came to getting up. He needed to get up very slow instead of just rolling out of bed. 

Some yoga exercises were ok. 

After getting off, Leo went to Don and told him that he needed to start some prenatal vitamins too. 

Don smiled at him. “Leo, you are already taking them.” 

“What?” 

Those pills I give you every night at dinner are a prenatal vitamin. That’s why they have been helping you a lot more with the nausea.” Don explained. 

“But with me always saying I wasn’t pregnant, you knew I really was.” Leo said. 

“Yes. You had nearly everything I had, so I recognized it a bit earlier.” Don said. 

In some ways, Leo was glad Don had gone through a pregnancy before now, because Leo would need all the guidance he could get from someone else. 

Life had gotten more interesting at the lair for now, the excitement of a new baby being on the way, but the baby wouldn’t be born for at least 6 more months. They had a lot to think about in getting ready for the new ‘Leo. Junior.’ 

A new bed would have to be made or bought, more formula, but because of the slightly older twins, not too much would need to be bought when they already had it. 

Leo was glad that his child would have some cousins to play with. The biggest question was: was it going to be male or female? But an even bigger question was how was he going to give birth? 

They still had about 6 months to think about it.


	19. Chapter 19

It had been many months now since Karai had had a good chance at getting at the turtle, Leonardo. But his brothers had interfered again. And Karai had wanted that female warrior in her army of Foot ninjas, but she never showed again. Had the turtles done something to her, or had she moved on? 

Of course, Don had killed Raven in self defense on her ship. 

But Karai was now tired of waiting for the woman to return. She wanted her revenge on the turtle now. Sure, she knew that the whole family was responsible for the exile of her father, but it was Leo that she wanted the most. Taking him out would ruin the family completely. 

Karai ordered double parties to search the city for the turtles, but particularly, Leo. She wanted him to suffer some more before she killed him. 

………..

A few weeks later, Leo was feeling a lot better now. He had finally stopped being sick, and was now eating a lot more food. He had a good sized appetite because of cravings he now got. 

Leo was still in training, but he wasn’t sparring with his brothers. Splinter had completely banned that because of possible contact with Leo’s stomach. But Splinter had him try some different exercises that involved his swords and candles, sometimes even dangerous axes. 

Leo was doing these exercises as he could imagine being attacked by enemies. He was still in good shape, but there was a different look to Leo now too. 

His stomach had now gotten a small baby bump! It was proof to himself, his family and friends, and the world that he was carrying a child. 

When Don would happen to let Leo onto his computer for more pregnancy info, Leo would look up how far along he was. He was now at about 15 weeks. Definitely when even first-time ‘moms’ started showing. 

Leo may be a turtle, but thus far, just like Donny, his pregnancy had had much in common with a human woman’s. As Leo looked at some info, he saw that he needed to watch his gums, to make sure extra hormones weren’t making them swollen, and some indigestion and gas, and heartburn. 

But he also had extra energy too. Male energy that was unfortunately denied him at the moment. But he knew how to take care of it. But Leo would have rather channeled his energy into meditating or running on the roofs at night. 

Leo was still allowed to patrol as long as he went out on one condition: he had at least one of the others with him at all times. 

Don didn’t consider anything too much to worry about yet. Leo wasn’t showing that much yet. Though at times, he had to watch his movements when he came up short of breath. According to the site, and some others, about this time, the womb that Junior is in would be pressing on the intestines. 

Leo could indeed feel that pressure. Though he had the energy to run and feel free, he had to watch how his stomach felt too. There was a good chance that he would start to feel his baby move sooner than 18 weeks. 

To Leo, looking at the calendar, up to 40 weeks just seemed so far away right now. He looked at Don’s twins so much that he really wanted to see if his baby looked like him. At times when he relaxed, he couldn’t help but rub his baby bump. 

Lately, the turtles had begun to see that the Foot clan was much more active and they needed to be real careful right now. They knew they would always be out trying to cause trouble, but Leo just couldn’t be caught up in a fight with them, not in his condition. So, also quite a bit of the time, Leo was on babysitting duty a lot with Splinter. Some nights were better than others. 

Though the Foot was out being active and looking for the turtles, they weren’t going to bother them unless the one in the blue mask and sword wielder was with them. It was him who Karai wanted. They knew she wanted him because he had just held a special place for her because of the exile of her father. 

The Foot just wasn’t having much luck finding the turtles, and Karai was beginning to get ticked off. Did she need to kidnap one or any of Leo’s brothers to make Leo come out of hiding? Maybe. She had many eyes and ears in the city. 

The Foot spread out over the city to try to find the turtles. She knew that they had phones on them too. If any of Leo’s brothers were caught, she would get in contact with him that way. 

Some places good to try would be the junkyard to get the brainy one, as he needed that stuff to make his inventions. Downtown was where most of the punks hung out, and the hothead was most of the time found down there. And the young goofy one was most likely to be nearer to comic book stores. 

Most times when the turtles were spotted, a lot of times they kept on saying that Leonardo was not with them. There had to be something up. Karai knew that Leo wouldn’t let anything happen to his bros. He was nearly always with them on a patrol, but things sure were weird now, as only two or three turtles were on the streets nowadays. Seeing all four was a rarity. 

……….

The lead ninja that was Karai’s second in command ninja wanted to know how she wanted Leonardo brought back. 

“Do you want us to bring him back here awake, beaten up, or unconscious?” He asked. 

“Bringing him back unconscious would be easiest. But it would be hard for you just to get a dart in him. Leonardo is too wise in the way of weaponry. But if you get him distracted, you should be able to. But get him to me however you can. Threaten his brothers if you have to in order to get him to surrender.” Karai advised her lead ninja man. 

“It will be done, Mistress Karai.” The ninja said and went back to his duties. 

Karai stood there, glaring. “You will pay for what you have done to me, Leonardo.” She growled. 

………..

Another week passed by. Leo was now at 16 weeks along. 

He did really have the ‘glow’ by now. Just extra hormones made his skin more shiny. He made sure to have near daily showers. 

A website said that the baby may be about 5.31 inches and weighs 2 ½ ounces. And that his body was producing 50% more blood. And it was now starting to become more crucial that he needed to start sleeping on his sides. 

Leo did sleep a bit more on his back and a side/back combo right now. He already knew that his stomach was off limits. 

Mikey was glad to be able to cook for Leo again. Leo made sure to eat healthy, but he could at least tolerate pizza again. His senses of taste were highly changed right now. His hearing and sense of smell, and even his vision were more highly attuned too. 

The baby was also getting ready for a growth spurt in the next several weeks. Leo would probably be tired in that time, or he could have some energy still. But whatever it would bring, Leo would make sure that he had the time of his life right now before his movements had to be restricted squarely in the sewers. 

Leo was stuck on babysitting duty the last several nights, so tonight, Leo really wanted to get out of the lair. He had his baby brother with him. Leo wanted Mikey to try to attune his senses some more. 

Mikey couldn’t help asking, “Leo, do you feel like the baby slows you down at all when you run like this?”

“Sometimes. I can feel it’s weight inside of me by now. It pushes against my organs and it can make me feel like I need to stop to catch my breath.” Leo said.

“Do you feel movements yet?” 

“None that I’m aware of. But enough about the baby right now, Mikey. I’m fine. Right now, it’s time to focus more on you and why I brought you out here.” Leo said. 

“Aww! But I love talking about the baby.” Mikey whined. 

“There’s not much to talk about. It’s inside me and that’s all. And I’m not sick anymore, so how’s that?” 

Mikey wanted to talk more, but Leo made them stop to catch their breaths before he would try to get Mike’s focus on his training for tonight. Leo wanted him to try to sense his surroundings more. 

After some deep breathing and clearing the mind, Mikey began to focus some. 

“So what do feel and sense right now, Mikey?” Leo asked. 

“Hungry.” 

Leo rolled his eyes. 

“And some Foot ninjas coming right at us!” Mikey then screamed. 

“What?!” Leo looked in Mike’s direction he was looking, and indeed, some ninjas were headed right for them. 

“Run! Get out of here now!” Leo demanded. 

“Leo! You can’t fight them off by yourself!” Mikey said. “I won’t leave your side!” 

“Fine. We both run.” Then they both turned and tried to get away. 

Even in his condition, Leo was still able to jump rooftops. It was only when the chasing after a small while began to take a toll and hurt Leo’s stomach that he began to slow down. Mikey began to spring ahead. But he did notice that his big brother was getting behind him. 

“Leo, come on!” Mikey shouted to him. 

Leo tried to ignore the pain and keep up with Mikey, but the weight of the baby was also getting to him. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and had to stop. He was breathing so hard he just couldn’t run anymore. It also made Mikey stop and stand by his side. 

“Come on, Leo!” Mikey urged and took his hand. 

“I can’t, Mikey! I can’t… run anymore!” Leo said breathlessly. He also had a hand on his stomach. 

The two turtles now looked to where the ninjas had been chasing them. The ninjas just stood there, waiting for an attack from them. There looked to be about 10 of them. 

“Mikey.” Leo said. 

“I’m on it, Leo.” Mikey said and he got in front of Leo. 

Leo would have given anything to fight those evil losers, but it just wasn’t good for him right now. But he wasn’t helpless. He still took out a katana. Mikey had his chucks out. 

Mikey charged the ninjas and began banging them quite a bit, though the ninjas were a lot faster now when they moved. But Mike tried to make sure to use his agility to keep himself from going down. He had to try to keep the ninjas from his big brother, but he knew even Leo wouldn’t go down without a fight. 

While Mikey was kept busy fighting 7 of the ninjas, three made it past Mikey and were now headed towards Leo, who was still breathing rather hard. But he took his hand off his stomach so they wouldn’t see it as a weakness. Chances were though they had seen it. Leo had to do whatever it took to keep them from getting him in his stomach, and also from going down on his stomach. 

Leo took out his second katana, and he was now ready for them. He growled at them and gave a battle stance. He watched them all warily. He had to make sure that he won this fight. 

The ninjas were all too happy to attack the pregnant turtle. 

Leo deflected their blows by using his swords to block their swords with loud CLANGS. He managed to kick the 3rd away, while he was locked in combat with two of the others. Right now he wished Don and Raph were here. 

One of the ninjas tried to gain access to his middle. But Leo saw past it real quick. He used his katana to lock swords with the ninja’s, then he kicked him away too. Then there was just one, and it didn’t take Leo long to defeat him too. 

He proved he still had what it took, even with how far along he was in his pregnancy. Leo stood there, panting for a moment. But the ninjas still weren’t done with him yet. Some more were making their way over towards him. 

But now, there was a problem. More ninjas were popping up from all over the surrounding buildings. Leo knew he and Mikey didn’t stand a chance against this many ninjas. He wished running would help, but it wouldn’t. They would have to stand and fight. Leo just had to make sure he didn’t get overly tired or dizzy. 

Mikey had also beat the other ninjas as well, but he also saw the dilemma and he came over to his brother.   
“You alright, Leo?” He asked. 

“I’m fine, Mikey. But right now we have to figure out how to beat these ninjas.” Leo replied. 

Both turtles now virtually stood back to back. Their best chance at escape would be if they could make it to the sewers, but it was hoping for too much when they were this outnumbered, and Leo couldn’t take them alone. 

“Leo, call the others! I’ll take care of the ninjas!” Mikey said and attacked once again. 

Leo knew his baby bro was trying to keep them at bay long enough. He quickly took out his shell cell and opened it and pressed a button. But it was only a second later that a ninja kicked it out of his hand. 

Leo cried out in surprise. His phone went flying clear over to the other side of the roof. He had no choice but to fight now. He could only hope his call got through. 

……….

Don and Raph were babysitting tonight. Don was in his lab, and Raph was watching wrestling mania on TV. 

All of a sudden, Raph’s phone started making a sound. “Now what?” He picked up. “Hello?” 

No answer. “Leo?” It had been Leo’s ID on his phone. 

“Hello?” He asked a second time. Again, no answer. 

“Donny!” I think Leo and Mikey are in trouble!” Raph hung up. 

Don snapped up at that. “What?” 

Raph ran up to him. “Leo just called me, and he didn’t pick up. I think he’s in trouble.” 

Don checked real quick on his computer where the tracker was, and it was coming from the middle of the city. “Let’s go!” Don said. He picked up his Bo and they ran out of the lair. They knew the twins would sleep through the night. They ran to the garage and got in the Battle Shell. It would be the fastest getaway for them. 

……….

Back on the rooftop, Leo and Mikey both were now in a full fledged fight of their own. The ninjas were just constantly coming at them. 

Leo made sure to protect his stomach at all costs. He was beginning to tire, but he had to keep it up. 

Mikey was trying his hardest to fight too, but even he got outmatched and he was knocked down and his chucks were thrown away from him. He got knocked into a wall shell first. Then the ninjas saw this as a perfect chance to get at the blue masked one. 

Mikey was picked up and his arms were heavily restrained. Then a Japanese command was given, and it made the ninjas stop fighting. 

Leo was a bit surprised when they stopped coming at him. “Huh?” 

“Surrender, Turtle!” He heard a voice say, and he turned to his left. Leo’s eyes widened. 

“Or your brother here dies!” With his arms restrained, and a knife being held at his throat, Leo saw deep fear in Mikey’s eyes. 

“No, Leo!” Mikey said. 

“I’m sorry, Mikey. Don’t hurt him.” Leo said and he dropped his swords. He couldn’t let them hurt his baby bro. 

“Good boy.” The lead ninja said. “Get him.” 

Leo looked down sadly as more ninjas came forward and grabbed his arms. They were pulled roughly behind his back. Leo could only wince as ropes began to tighten around his wrists. 

Leo could now only look angrily at his captors. “Alright you got me. Now let my brother go.” 

“So he could run and tell the others where you are. No way! But the mistress will be more than happy to have you as her trophy.” 

Leo glared at them all, but then, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He cried out in pain. He knew this wasn’t good. Whatever was entering his blood could harm his baby. 

“Leo! No!” Mikey cried out. Then he was given a knock out drug too. 

Both turtles fell to the ground. Though Leo did have enough consciousness left before he came to the ground to get his right shoulder to hit the ground first. 

“Get the blue out of here first.” The leader said. 

“What do we do with his brother?” 

“He can be useful to us as well. We can use him to make the blue one more obedient.” 

Leo was taken down to the alley below and placed in a truck. He was Karai’s to do with as she wished. The truck started up and it took off. 

Mikey was going to be taken to a separate truck when suddenly, a Bo and some sais came out of nowhere. 

“Get away from our brothers!” Don shouted. 

Don and Raph had finally gotten here. Though they were a bit late to save Leo. They both fought off the ninjas with hard gusto and soon the ninjas were in retreat. Then, they turned to find Mikey. He was still unconscious on the ground. 

Raph pulled at the rope on his hands with a sai and then his arms were free. “Where’s Leo?” He asked. 

Don looked around and even at the other buildings. “I think the Foot got him.” 

“You know what trouble he’s going to be in when they find out about the baby?” 

“Yes. I do. We have to get Mikey back to the lair, then we’ll go after Leo. Mikey could be hurt. I’m sure Leo can take care of himself long enough. We won’t be long Raph.” Don said. “And I can’t track Leo down without his phone.” 

“We know where they’re taking him.” Raph said. 

Don nodded. He could only have been taken to Foot headquarters. They knew Karai would stop it nothing to get her hands on Leo until he was dead. 

Gently, Raph carried Mikey down to the Battle Shell. Don was just as ecstatic as Raph to want to go after Leo in his condition. But Leo was a tough turtle. As long as he wasn’t harmed big time. 

Don and Raph would get Mikey to the lair as fast as they could, then they would go after Leo. He had to be at the Foot’s headquarters.


	20. Chapter 20

Leo woke up slowly. His head felt so dizzy. “Oh, I feel like I went spinning in a circle over 20 times or more.” He said to himself. 

He tried to rub his head, but he found that he couldn’t even move his arms. They were bound tightly above his head, but on a metal table. So were his legs, bound at the ankles. Leo was helpless. He tried to remember what happened, then it hit him.

His eyes widened. No! The Foot had him. Leo knew he had to get out of here before they did anything to him or he and his unborn baby were dead meat. It then hit him. 

The baby! 

Leo hurriedly looked down at his stomach, worried about his child. 

He found his plastron was still intact and slightly swollen. It meant that he hadn’t been out cold for long. He heaved a huge sigh of relief. But how long was Karai going to let him stay intact? 

Leo began to struggle in his bonds as much as he could. He couldn’t let the enemy find out about his inside secret. 

Then, the door to the room opened. It instantly made Leo stop struggling to see who it was. This time it was only one ninja. 

“Finally awake I see.” He said. 

Leo gave him a strong glare back. Then he remembered Mikey. “Where’s my brother?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about your brother. It’s just you that’s here. And right now, the mistress is looking forward to seeing you suffer.” He said. 

“I’ll bet she is.” Leo said. “She’s been wanting me to suffer for as long as I can remember.” 

“Well, you defeated our Master, her father. Your whole family did.” 

“Leave my family out of this. You already have me. What more do you want?” Leo asked. 

“To see you suffer as I have suffered, then them by getting rid of you!” An angry female voice now added to the situation. 

Leo’s eyes widened. His breathing quickly picked up. Fear shot through him. 

“He seems suddenly so upset about something, Mistress.” The ninja said. 

“I don’t care. You Leonardo, are going to pay for what you did to me!” Karai said. She saw the immediate sad look in his eyes. 

Leo’s hormones were causing him to have a mood swing right now, and not the best time for it. He couldn’t help it as tears came to his eyes. 

“Look Karai. The Shredder may have raised you, but you were better than him. You had honor. You were our friend. We saved each other many times. You know what you saw at that trial. He was a merciless killer. You deserved better a life than that. The Utroms once saved my father while your father had tried to kill him. Does that sound like the Utroms were heartless monsters?” Leo tried to explain to her that she was serving the wrong side. 

“Only because you had sided with them.” She snapped back at him. 

To him, it was clear the Karai he knew was truly gone. 

“No. Well, yes and no. We thought the Utroms were enemies too at first. But then, Master Splinter told us that they were our friends. We learned about them and their history. It was your father who was the reason that they crash landed here over a 1,000 years ago.” Leo said. 

“Only because like I said before my father’s defeat at your hands, that the heartless Utroms had hunted him all his life.” 

“Because he was doing evil things and killing innocent beings throughout the galaxy.” Leo said. “Please Karai. It’s not too late to change from that path.” 

“The only way I will ever feel satisfied with what’s left of my life is when you and your family are dead!” She yelled at him. “Get me my sword!” 

To Leo, it was clear that she was wanting to kill him now. That icy glare in her eyes scared the shell out of him right now. 

Leo began struggling again for his life. “You won’t get loose, Leonardo. Just a few more minutes and it will be over for you.” Karai said. 

She came up to him and jabbed Leo’s slightly swollen abdomen. There was nothing Leo could do to protect it right now. 

Leo grunted loudly in pain. And there was a big shift of movement in his stomach. 

Karai noticed this, now that she had messed with the bulge on her enemy’s belly. “Fascinating.” She said. 

When the ninja came back in with her sword, she held up her hand. “Before I get on with his demise, you, feel that round bulge on his abdomen.” Karai ordered. 

The ninja nodded and went up to Leo’s middle. “No!” Leo cried out. He squirmed some more. 

The ninja now placed his hands on top of the bulge. 

“Press on it.” Karai said. 

He did as he was told. He pressed on the turtle’s swollen belly. Leo could only wince in pain as he felt a shift inside him again. 

“Mistress, I think we have something here.” He said. 

“What is it?” She asked. 

“Something that I’ve never felt on a turtle before.” He said. “Something that’s making his stomach more flexible.” 

“What is inside you, Leonardo?” She demanded. 

“Nothing.” Leo said. 

“I wouldn’t think you would ever let yourself get fat, Leonardo. You are too much of a warrior for lazy behavior. But it sure has taken my soldiers long enough to re-capture you for me. Now what is it?” She demanded sharply. 

Leo gulped. “Again, it’s nothing.” Tears had begun to fall from his eyes, not that he could help it. He had tried his hardest to try to get Karai to snap out of Shredder mode, but she was not going to. And now, the Foot had found his precious cargo, though they didn’t know what it was. 

“Go get the equipment.” Karai ordered. 

“NO!” Leo cried out. 

Karai turned to him. She could tell that with the desperation in his voice, that whatever was inside him was important and he didn’t want her finding out. 

A handheld scanner of a special design was brought into the room. Leo saw it and didn’t want a thing to do with it even touching him. 

“Find out what is inside him.” Karai said. 

“Yes, Mistress Karai.” 

This time a scientist type of worker had come in with the scanner. He held it up, then had something of a little probe and he began to put it down towards Leo’s lower belly. 

“NO!” Leo cried out again. He struggled some more to keep the man from finding out the result. 

Karai took charge and she went up to Leo’s head and she instantly had a hand on his throat. “Now you hold still! Do it.” 

Leo was motionless now, as he didn’t want her to choke him. He didn’t have a choice. 

The handheld probe picked up a 3D image on it. Once it focused, the man said, “Mistress, it appears I am getting the image of a little body from inside him, and a little heartbeat.” 

Leo could only look up at her. 

Karai had a flabbergasted look on her face. 

“This turtle is pregnant, Mistress.” 

Leo closed his eyes sadly. Now his precious secret was out. 

“Let me see that.” She said and let go of his neck. She walked to his middle. 

Leo could now breath again, but he didn’t want her to see the image of his child. As she neared, he jerked his middle to the right and the probe came off of him. 

“Leonardo! You will hold still.” She growled at him. 

“It does not matter, Mistress. The scanner has it on file now. Here we go. All I have to do is download it for a picture.” 

There was nothing Leo could do now. Karai was now, no doubt, looking at his unborn baby. 

Karai turned back to him a moment later with a shocked expression. “Now there is an even better reason to kill you! Or kill something that could mean so much to you, and make you suffer for it!” She smirked. “And how is it exactly that you came to be pregnant, Leonardo?” 

“I will never tell you that!” Leo snapped at her. 

“Well, get on with it then. Cut the baby out of him. I want to run some tests on him before it’s his turn to die.” Karai said. “And he can suffer during that time. He loses something he loves, like I did.” 

“NO!” Leo cried out desperately. 

Some few minutes later, some tools were prepared for the operation. “Now this is going to hurt you more than it hurts us.” A ninja said. 

“Any last words for the baby?”

Leo looked at Karai, who was smiling evilly. She was clearly going to enjoy this. Tears were in Leo’s eyes again. “Please Karai. Don’t do this to me. I may have done something to you, but my baby is completely innocent.” 

“And if it lives to be born and raised by you, it would become like you!” Karai said. “So I cannot let it live! It is a freak to this world, like the rest of you!” 

Leo couldn’t help but sob at those horrible words. He just wanted to get out of here and go home. He needed his family. He wanted his baby to live, and especially after he had had such a hard start in believing he was pregnant too. He hadn’t accepted his baby for very long, and this was how it’s life was going to end? 

Just as the saw was being prepped, the alarm went off in the building. 

“Find out what is going on.” Karai demanded. But she had a feeling she knew what it was. It had to be Leo’s brothers coming to save their leader. 

The ninjas left the room and Karai began to get in her battle armor. “Your family has come to rescue you.” 

“I knew they would.” Leo said. 

“But they will not get to you without going through me first.” Karai snarled at him. 

Leo could only look up at her sadly. 

……….

Don, Raph, Splinter, and even Mikey were on their way up, battling the Foot goons in their desperate attempts to find Leo before something awful happened to him. 

April and Casey were back at the lair babysitting. 

Splinter smelled around and sensed around when the ninjas weren’t around. He could sense where Leo was. And he could sense that his son was in grave danger if he wasn’t rescued. 

They soon came to the room. “He’s in there,” the rat said. 

They opened the doors and saw Leo laying tied down to a table. “Leo!” 

“Guys! Look out! It’s a trap!” Leo cried out. 

“Indeed it is, Turtles and Vermin.” Karai greeted them. 

“Let him go, Karai!” Raph snarled at her. “Or I’ll be sure to break every bone in your body!” 

“If you want him, you have to get through me first.” She said. 

“For which, I’d love to!” Raph said. He attacked first. Then Don and Mikey followed. 

Karai was instantly fighting Leo’s brothers. Splinter made his way over to his son, who was struggling again and real hard. “Get me out of here, Father.” Leo said. 

“And we will, my son.” Master Splinter immediately undid Leo’s bonds, and he was up in a second. He clung to Splinter. 

“It is alright now, Leonardo, but now, I must go assist your brothers. Here are your katanas, but wait here for us.” Splinter said, and he let go of Leo to help his three remaining sons. 

Leo now got off the table, and he had his swords ready if they were needed. He was so happy that his family had reached him in time before he had ended up with a huge wound in his plastron. And now he had been instructed to only fight if it was necessary. He had to protect his baby. 

And now that he was up, Leo put a hand down to his belly and rubbed it. He had come so close to losing his child. But the baby still could have been hurt with the jab that Karai had given him. But what was worse was that Karai actually knew he was carrying a baby. There was no way she would give up now. 

She would never want Leo to have a chance at having a future. And his baby was a second generation after Don’s kids. 

The four of them soon had Karai defeated and they came over to Leo, who couldn’t help but hug them so tightly. 

“It’s good to have you back, Bro.” Don said.

“And glad they didn’t hurt you.” Mikey said. 

“They nearly did.” Leo said. 

“There will be a time for a reunion later, my sons. Right now we must get out of here.” Splinter said. 

Then the four turtles followed their rat father out of the room. They fought Foot soldiers on their way out of the building. Even Leo helping them. And to help them out, Don had given them all some invisibility goggles so they could also see Foot Tech ninjas. 

They all got out of the building and to the truck. Raph drove home. Leo was just so glad to be out of the Foot headquarters. 

Once in the back of the truck and on the way home, Leo just broke down. He collapsed into Don’s arms. 

“It’s going to be okay, Leo.” Don said. 

“I don’t know, Don.” Leo sobbed. “She tried to kill it! She said horrible words to me. She hit me!” 

“Hit you? What do you mean hit you?” Don asked. 

“She hit my stomach!” Leo sobbed. 

“Why that evil bitch!” Raph snarled from up front. 

“We’ll get a look at the baby as soon as we get home, Leo.” Don said. “Right now, it’s best if you sat down in a seat.” 

“I’m just glad that we got there in time to save Leo and his baby.” Mikey said. 

“And… are you alright, Mikey?” Leo asked. 

“Yes. Don and Raph rescued me and took me back to the lair. I woke up not too long after and I was still going to come and help save you.” Mikey said. 

“What about the twins?” 

“April and Casey are watching them. They are fine.” Don said. 

Leo couldn’t help but glance down at his swollen belly. He sure hoped his baby was alright. It depended on him for completely everything, and he had let him or her down. 

……….

Leo’s heart ached from the pain that Karai had put him through. Right now, he was staring up at the ceiling as Don was now running the ultrasound probe over his stomach. Master Splinter was holding his left hand and April was holding his other hand. Everyone, even Casey, was in the infirmary to see if Leo’s baby was going to make it. 

If it wasn’t alive now, Don would have to perform an emergency ’abortion.’ 

Leo was praying hard that his son or daughter was alive. Raph and Mikey both held Akemi and Virgil. Everyone was concerned when they had heard what happened. 

Casey had been the last to know about Leo’s pregnancy. Just like with Don’s. And he had found it once again, shocking that this had happened again. He wished he could have been there to rescue his friend, but April had needed him to help with the twins since Leo’s family were the ones that had needed to save him.

Within moments of starting up the machine, there was a sound coming from the machine. The heartbeat! 

Leo sighed deeply. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. His child was alive! 

“The baby’s alive, Leo!” Don said. 

“Thank you.” Leo said. 

“But how is it doing, Donny?” April asked. 

Don looked. “It is a bit stressed of what happened to it. The jab and all. But Leo may need to have a scan on Leatherhead’s sonogram machine too just to be sure. It takes far better pictures than this ultrasound machine. But it is healthy, if a bit stressed.” Don said. “But I would recommend that Leo gets some rest first. We need to see that once some of the stress wears off that it’s going to be ok.” 

“But nothing looks ruptured or anything?” Leo asked. 

“No. Not from what I can see. I still see the amniotic fluid, the cord, the baby’s body. The heart going. I think its going to be just fine. But like I said, LH should do a double scan on you just to be sure. But you need to get some rest first.” Don said. 

“I agree with Donatello. It has been a long night, my sons.” Splinter said. He was still tired from having been woke up to rescue Leo. 

Once Leo was sitting up and cleaning his belly off, everyone started to leave the lab. Then he got to his feet. He said good night to the twins, friends and family and went to his room to go to bed, and his body felt really happy to just lay in it for a change. 

Leo was asleep nearly the instant he got into his bed.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day, Leo was glad that he had gotten some sleep, but he wasn’t up for breakfast. He wanted to know as soon as possible that his baby was alright. 

Don called ahead that morning to let Leatherhead know that Leo was coming to his place to have his baby checked on by his sonogram machine. 

The croc accepted that Leo needed to know because it was an emergency kind of thing. 

Once Leo got there, LH was ready to help him out. He guided the pregnant turtle to the sonogram machine where Leo laid down onto his back on the machine. 

He would be going into the machine, as if it was a CAT scan. A red laser line would pass over his body as he went through it. 

Leo remembered when Don had to go through this machine at least one time or two. It was a little scary, but he was going to do this. He had to know how the baby was doing. 

The moving part he was lying on started to move him into the machine slowly. Once Leo was completely inside it, it stopped. 

“Now I’m going to start the scanning process, Leonardo.” LH said. “Starting at your head and the line will make it’s way down your body.” 

“Ok, Leatherhead.” Leo replied. He closed his eyes. 

Leo felt a red light coming over his head now, even with his eyes closed. He was glad when it finally got over his head, but he still kept them closed. 

A couple minutes later, the process was done. The tray pulled out of the machine and when it began moving, Leo opened his eyes. When it came out, Leo knew that he could get off now. He also wanted to see what his friend could see. Leatherhead pulled up Leo’s body scan up on his computer so the turtle could see too. Leo came over to his side.

On the screen, Leo could see a much more detailed picture of himself. It was like 3D imaging. 

Leo could see his whole body, but he was more interested in seeing where the baby was. The croc moved to the belly area and took a look. 

“There is your baby, Leonardo.” LH said. 

It was so hard to see its image on screen like that. “Wow. That’s my baby?” Leo said. 

“Yes. You sound as if you have never seen it before.” The croc said. 

“Not like this.” 

“Ok, let’s see if there is any sign of damage or distress.” LH said. He looked over the baby very carefully. “Were there any signs last night?” LH asked. 

“It’s heartbeat was stressed, but Don couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.” Leo said. “Probably just from the jab it took.”

“I’m thinking that you may not have been jabbed that hard then. Your plastron and the so-called uterus that I see it in seems to have protected it a lot more. I remember seeing it on Donatello.” 

“Speaking of that, where is it in me exactly?” Leo asked. 

“The uterus is down in your lower abdominal cavity, just behind your reproductive organs. So it’s a good protective spot.”

“But it won’t affect them, will it?” 

“No. The baby has grown above them, just slightly. And you are not showing that much.” LH said. 

“Maybe not, but it was enough to where the bulge shifted enough for the Foot to find out about it.” Leo said. “I was wondering if the others were going to make it in time.” 

“You know they would always come for you, Leonardo.” 

“I know, but the Foot was just about ready to open me up and take the baby out by the time they got there last night. I was so scared that I was going to go home with a wound in my belly, and a dead baby.” Leo said, nearly in sobs. 

“But it was good that they got there when they did.” LH said. “But as far as this scan goes, it doesn’t show any problems with the baby being in any distress. It should be just fine, Leonardo. But I would suggest taking it easy for a few days just to make sure everything pulls through. You shouldn’t have too much stress on you right now in this delicate time.” 

“It’s not always that easy for me, considering how I have to look out for my family.” Leo said. 

“I know you have to deal with that heavy burden, my friend, but while you are in this condition, one of your brothers may have to step up for awhile, just until after the baby comes.” The croc advised. 

“That would be a long time for them to be leader.” Leo said. “And I’m not sure who could do it. Don did show his leadership side when Akemi and Virgil were missing, but I don’t think he could do it all the time. Raph would probably have to be it, but he also has much to learn about controlling his temper when he’s out of the lair. And Mikey is still too childish.” 

“You did make Raphael the leader in the time that you had to go to Japan, right?” LH asked. 

“Master Splinter advised it. I wasn’t in my right mind then. And I also think at times that I’m not in my right mind now. But I’m not mad at the world like I was then.” 

“You could help your chosen brother along by encouraging them, and try to have them remember what you would do in a certain situation.” 

“Thanks Leatherhead. I’ll think about it, but while I’m not that big yet, I still do want to go on going being leader, even out on patrols for as long as I can, before this pregnancy forces me to have to remain at home. Though at least my time at home I know I can prepare more for fatherhood by playing with my niece and nephew.” Leo said. 

“That’s good. But for the time being, take a few days off of training and patrols and just relax. You need to get the stress worked off of you.” LH said. 

“Thanks again for everything, LH.” Leo said as he was now leaving. 

“You’re welcome.” The croc said. 

………

Leo took a few days off to baby-sit Akemi and Virgil when his brothers went out on patrol and train. But he still did sit in on the training. He had told his family about Leatherhead’s instructions for him, and he was following them. 

As much as this relaxing could be good for him, Leo couldn’t put up with laying around the lair for long. And after every patrol, he would ask his brothers how it went. It was always the same. Fight thugs on the street mostly. But the Foot was also still patrolling too. 

Leo still hadn’t mentioned anything about one of his brothers going to need to step up as a new leader, at least when they would be doing patrols. But at home, Leo would always be the lead turtle. He was thinking real hard on who he wanted it to be. It had to be Don or Raph. 

But Leo was also real worried about the Foot. He knew they were on the lookout for him most of all. Their leader would want to kill his baby. 

One night, Leo woke up screaming about the memories that he was having about Karai wanting to kill his baby. Don was just down his hall and he came running first to try to comfort his brother. 

“Leo?” He said as he turned on his light. 

Leo was still dreaming and struggling in his sleep. Don came over to his bed and woke him up. “Leo!” 

Leo sat up, panting. “Donny?” 

“What’s wrong? You were screaming in your sleep.” Don asked. 

Then Raph, Mikey, and Splinter entered the room. 

Leo hated it when his family worried about him, and he rarely ever had such bad dreams that woke his family up like this. He looked down at his stomach. 

Don saw this. “Worried about the baby?” 

Leo looked up at him. “It was Karai. Just the things she said to me before you guys came.” 

“She’s a bitch, Leo. Don’t believe anything she said to ya.” Raph said. 

“But what did she say?” Mikey asked. “Ow!” 

Raph had hit Mikey upside the head. He knew that Leo wouldn’t want a repeat of those words. 

“She called it a freak of nature.” Leo said. He fell into Don’s arms, tears falling. 

Don knew how he was feeling. This was a very hard time for his older brother, who usually always had his act together, but the hormones were way out of whack. 

“It’s not a freak, Leo. It’s going to be a beautiful baby turtle.” Don said. “As we’ve all seen, it looks more like a turtle.” 

“But I feel like I failed him or her.” Leo sobbed. “I already failed you once Donny. I couldn’t protect your kids from Lavish.” 

“I’m still sorry for blaming you, Leo. But we’ve been over this. It wasn’t your fault that she drugged you.” Don said. 

“And then I was drugged when the Foot caught Mikey and me.” 

“It was really cruel of them to do that to you, Leo.” Mikey said. 

“And LH said that the baby was stressed from what happened.” Raph said. 

“And we have gotten past that too. You and your baby have survived all these stresses, Leonardo.” Master Splinter now stepped in. “And we will continue to make sure that you do.” 

“Thanks, Father.” Leo said. “But it also seemed like you guys weren’t going to make it in time.” 

“We’re sorry that it seemed that way, Leo. We knew you could hold out on your own for a while. We had to make sure Mikey was alright too. And it didn’t take him long to come out of the drug. I had to make sure that he wasn’t seriously injured, and when we were going to come get you, he came out of it and wasn’t taking no for an answer, since he knew you getting caught was his fault.” Don explained. 

“We know now that we drop off Mikey at the lair, and then come get you straight away.” Raph said. 

“I’m sorry that happened Leo.” Mikey said. “But your call did reach Donny and Raph, so you did save us. I was too busy fighting them off to call.” 

“I was just barely able to dial you. My phone was kicked out of my hand.” Leo said. 

Mikey had had many more bruises and such from the Foot that night that were even still healing. But he had done it all for Leo and his baby. 

“It will always be a night that we’ll not forget for a long time, my sons. But are you feeling better now, Leonardo?” Splinter asked. 

“A little.” Leo said. “And yeah, Mikey, you did save me from taking most of the beatings. Otherwise, I would have much rather it happen to me instead of you.” 

“But it would have been bad for the baby.” Mikey said. 

“I know. I have only accepted being pregnant for such a short time, and I have come to love this baby more than my own life.” Leo said. 

“But right now, your life means your baby’s life.” Don said. “And for me, I had two lives that depended on me.” 

With all the stresses involved with being pregnant for so long, Leo wondered how he was going to make it like this for 6 more months. 

“Do you want one of us to stay in here with you?” Don asked. 

“Huh?” Leo snapped out of his thinking. 

“You seem like you’re feeling better now. But do you want one of us to stay with you?” He repeated. 

“No thanks. I think I can manage on my own now.” Leo said. He had finally stopped crying, and was much calmer now. 

Leo said good night to his family as they left his room. He had to try to get back to sleep again. Though Leo was not wanting to see or hear those horrible dreams and words again. 

………

The next day, Leo overslept a bit more. But it was his time of rest, so his family didn’t want to wake him, especially after last night’s bad dream. 

When he came down for breakfast, he did feel hungry this morning. 

“Leo, after you’re done eating,” Don began, “You should start packing your stuff.” 

“What? Why?” Leo asked. 

“After we left your room last night, we all talked downstairs for a little bit, and we think it’s time we got out of the city for awhile.” Don said. 

“The Foot goons won’t give up on finding us and you. We just need a break from all this.” Mikey said. 

“Ok. I’ll be more than happy to get away from all that for awhile.” Leo said. 

He finished his breakfast, then went to pack his swords and some books. Leo knew they were headed up to the farmhouse. “How long are we planning on staying away?” He asked. 

“A month should do. It’s just been a crazy few months.” Raph said. 

“I can agree on that.” Don said. 

“Are April and Casey coming too?” 

“It’ll be at least this weekend before they can come up. Right now, they have to work. We can take care of ourselves for a few days. We packed some of our food to go.” Mikey said. 

Leo nodded. He would need April to bring some pregnancy books up for him to read, and some ‘female’ company at times if the guys got too pushy or bossy towards him. A woman around to talk to would help, because though he would always be male, right now, his hormones made him act like a sensitive female. 

The family was all packed up now and ready to get out of the city. Leo held Akemi, and Don carried Virgil to the truck. Everyone was all buckled in. The twins were now riding in baby carriers, for their own safety. And there were now special baby seats in the Battle Shell. The carriers were buckled up. 

The whole family just was ready for the quiet life of the country for awhile.


	22. Chapter 22

Don wanted to drive the Battle Shell, as it was his designed truck. He wanted the trip to be easier on both Leo and the twins. Raph would hit every pothole on the way. 

Leo entered his 17th week today. 

The baby was about 5.1 inches from crown to rump and weighing 4.9 ounces. The baby was still very tiny.

He was feeling a bit better already with just seeing Mother Nature for a change. 

Once they got to the farmhouse, they all gathered up their belongings and took them inside to where whatever needed to be. This was the second time in their young lives that the Akemi and Virgil had been here to the farmhouse, where they were born. This would be a remembrance for Donny and the others, but mostly for Don. 

Leo wondered if his child was going to be born here too. He knew that they would go back to the city for awhile after this month was over. But there was still several months left. Leo gave his small swelling a rub. 

The family settled into peaceful activities like taking a walk around outside was a good start. Then Splinter wanted to have some training done. There were some whines, but even Leo helped to enforce it. Though he couldn’t train directly with them, but he could give pointers. 

Splinter did however, want Leo to perform some katas. 

Leo was all for it, but he knew he had to take it easier when it came to how much bending and activity he could put in his middle. He didn’t want to risk injuring or killing the baby, especially after what he had nearly went through with the Foot. 

Leo did his katas with complete precision. 

Sometimes the others, especially Raph, felt really jealous. He would give anything to spar with his ‘Fearless’ leader again, but he knew that was strictly off limits right now in his condition. 

After training and some more walking to cool down from the workouts, they all then went inside to have some dinner and relax. 

Leo began to wonder if the exercises he was doing was right for him right now. He had to look up some exercises that suited pregnant ‘moms-to-be-.’

Don had his laptop with him. Leo was allowed to get online and look up pregnancy exercises after dinner. 

Leo saw that doing yoga was fine, as long there was no deep twists. Aerobics were fine, but they needed to be focused away from the stomach, such as just the back and legs, and arms. And a little strength training was fine, sitting down or something, with smaller weights.

But Leo would still continue to do ninja training as well. If ever confronted by an enemy, he needed to keep it up, but just keeping the most strenuous out of the situation. 

The weekend finally came and April and Casey finally came up. They brought some more food and supplies. And also, just as promised, April brought some pregnancy books for Leo. 

More food had been needed, as Leo was still eating healthily, but demanding more food. The cravings demanded it for Junior. As more food seemed to go to the baby, and Leo was still hungry for more. 

One day, Mikey asked him, “Hey Leo? Are you feeling him move yet?” 

The question made Leo jump. He was trying to meditate on the living room couch. 

“What?” 

“Are you feeling any movements from him yet?” Mikey asked again. 

“The baby…? No. Not yet. I think it’s still too early for that, Mikey.” Leo said. “And what makes you think it’s a boy?” 

“Nothing. I just wanted to call it something besides an ‘it.’” Mikey said. 

“Thanks. That means a lot. But I don’t think we’re going to know until he or she is born. But Junior is just fine for now.” Leo said. 

“You aren’t going to name it that, are you?” 

“No. It’s just a temporary name until I find the right name. I’ll choose one for both sexes, but I know, unlike Don, I’m only picking one name.” Leo said. 

“Have you any thoughts of what you might name it?” 

“No. Not yet. I’ve been too busy thinking about all the things that have happened to me, the twins, Don, you, and my ninja training.” Leo said. 

“I get all the other stuff, but what about training?” Mikey asked. 

“Whether I need to change my exercises, to make Junior feel safer and me not worrying if I’m hurting them.” Leo explained. 

“Yeah, that is a good question. You should talk to Master Splinter and Donny about that. I’m not the one who could say what’s best for you.” Mikey said. 

“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to, but just been thinking too much. I’ll do it in a bit.” Leo said. “Now if you please, Mikey, I’d like to go back to my meditation.” 

“Sorry. Ok.” Mike said and left. 

Leo sighed and then tried some deep breathing so he could get comfortable again. The thoughts about movements and names were now on his mind. 

Leo longed to feel the baby move, so he could at least know that it was alive. But also the thought of not being able to patrol anymore plagued his mind as well. Getting bigger would only make his stomach more of a target. He hated the idea of staying at home so much when his brothers could be there having all the fun. And that would make his pregnancy even more stressful when he couldn’t be out there helping them. 

He was also really trying to think on who would be the substitute leader while out there. 

Don had improved on very big maturity since becoming a father. He was also good at the technology side. He could explain facts. 

Raph wasn’t too hot tempered towards Leo at all right now. He knew he had to be supportive of Leo and not stress him. He knew Leo could get upset very easily, and the encounter with Karai, he had easily seen it before leaving home.

Leo wasn’t sure how to decide at the moment, but he had more time to think about it. 

…………

Leo went to Don first to talk about his type of exercises. 

“I don’t see why you should stop doing training at this point, Leo. You aren’t that big yet. You can keep on doing what Master Splinter is having you doing, but adding those other exercises would be good too. It will keep you in shape, and you could recover from the birth faster.” Don said. 

“I know I do want that, but what do you think you’re going to have to do?” Leo asked. He had a slight chill in his gut about it. 

“Leo, you shouldn’t think about that now. You need to avoid big time stress as much as possible.” Don said. 

Don was thinking about it though. He was trying to prepare himself mentally ahead of time so he wouldn’t panic when Leo did happen to go into labor. He really thought that Leo’s baby would need to be born the same way as his. But could there be the slightest chance of him doing it normally? 

Don felt it was too much of a risk. He would rather do a c-section than let a womb made by one of those ‘evil’ female lizards inside his brother rupture. He worried about any internal bleeding. Leo didn’t deserve to have lived all nine months carrying and wanting his baby to just die during or soon after giving birth. 

“I just can’t help it. I’m just nervous about seeing him or her for the first time.” Leo said. 

“I know. But like I said, try to think about something else. Avoid big stress.” Don said. 

“I’m trying to.” Leo said. He left. At least Don said those other exercises should really start to be added in. 

He then went to Splinter and told him that ninja training should start to be more limited, and that he should start some more different exercises. 

“That is fine, my son. Just keep on doing exercises that will keep you in good shape throughout your pregnancy.” Splinter said. 

Leo was happy that both his ‘doctor’ brother and sensei both approved that he should start doing them. 

He got a book out and started doing some yoga poses and such. He would learn new moves.


	23. Chapter 23

A few days later, life seemed to be getting a little boring for the guys. Maybe a camping trip was needed. The guys hadn’t done that in awhile. 

Don just said to Leo to keep an eye on the baby and how he felt, but he could come. He was 18 weeks now. 

Leo just wanted out of the house as much as the others. He was thrilled to go. 

Everyone packed their things and headed out. April, Casey, and Splinter would take care of Don’s twins. It would be good for the guys to just spend some brotherly time together. Bringing Akemi and Virgil was too risky, just in the case of wild animals, and the cold. Or if the turtles were accidentally spotted out there. 

Casey soon found a good spot in the van that was way away from that power plant. But it was a space by the river. 

“This looks like a gorgeous spot to camp. Thanks for the ride, Casey.” Leo said. 

“No problem. Have fun. I’ll be back in 3 days to pick ya up.” Casey said and he drove away as soon as the turtles all had their supplies gathered. 

It was warm out for a day in February. 

The guys stashed their stuff, then went searching for some wood to start a campfire. Leo was still helping. 

Then Raph asked him, “Should you be bending over like that, Leo? It may not be good for you to do that.” 

“Raph, I’m fine. I can still bend over just fine. I’m not helpless.” Leo replied. 

Now it was starting; others trying to see that Leo didn’t do things such as bending over just to pick up some simple sticks. 

“Just trying to look out for ya, Bro.” Raph said. 

“Raph, I’ll be in a much more desperate situation before I need looking after like that.” Leo said in a snappy voice. 

“Ok, ok. I won’t help ya.” Raph said. 

“Sorry Raph. It’s just I don’t need looking after just yet.” Leo said in a calmer tone. 

“Ya did when the Foot attacked.” 

“Raph! Don’t bring that up again. I don’t need to be reminded of it.” Leo snapped. “And that was different than this.” Leo walked away with a few sticks in his arms. 

Raph was just wanting to help him. But that reminder was not a way of helping. 

……….

It was also nearing Valentine’s Day too. Another reason it was good that the turtles were camping. April and Casey wanted some love time alone. They got it when the twins were taking naps. 

They would bring the turtles back on Valentine’s Day, because Don would want to be with Akemi and Virgil. They were the love of his life. 

Splinter stayed out of their way. He just meditated most of the time.   
……….

Soon, the guys had enough wood for a fire, then they wanted to go exploring. 

It was cool out, but they just needed some air. The forecast had been checked for the next few days. It was kind of warm for February. The turtles did wear some clothes. They were bunking in tents, besides their sleeping bags. 

Pretty soon, the turtles came upon something that they had no idea that was near the farmhouse; a cabin that looked abandoned. 

“Whoa. Had no idea this was here.” Mikey said. 

“Neither did I.” Don said.

“Looks like it’s been abandoned.” Leo said. 

“Can we check it out?” Mikey asked. 

“Ok, but be on your guard should anyone come around.” Leo reluctantly said. 

When they got closer to the cabin, they saw the door. It was closed. 

Mikey went up the 3 steps to the door, as he was the most curious to see the inside of it. His bros followed to make sure he didn’t get hurt inside of it. 

The place was real rotten inside of it. It almost looked liked Mother Nature had come inside, but there was junk plates and stuff lying everywhere. 

Raph cringed. “I wouldn’t live here if anyone paid me.” 

“Neither would I. Not with this baby coming.” Leo said. 

“But it is cool! Just the imagining of a haunted house!” Mikey shouted out. 

His bros looked at each other. He was one weird little brother to them. “It’s just an old rundown cabin.” Don said. “Nothing here but junk from one time.” 

“It could get cold tonight.” Mikey said. “Maybe we could sleep in here.” He offered. 

“Ya never know when it could come crashing down on us.” Raph said. 

Don went to the walls and pressed on them a little. “I don’t think it’s rotted down that far. It’s sturdy enough.” 

“The only way I’m sleeping here is if the mess is cleaned up.” Leo said. He had a way of wanting things so neat and clean. But right now, it was more of a nesting instinct. 

“Happy to do what we can for you.” Don said. “But should we be sleeping in an unsanitary house?” 

“It would be better than facing the direct cold, Donnie-boy.” Mikey said. 

“I suppose you have a point.” Don said. 

“Ok you guys. I have a reluctance about sleeping here, but there is the condition it is cleaned up before nightfall, but before we do that, I suggest we go get our stuff, before some animal finds and takes it away.” Leo said. 

They nodded and went to go get their stuff before coming back. It wasn’t far. 

The gear was laid by the house. They searched for a broom in a closet. There was one. Since it was Mike’s idea to sleep here, he was the one in charge of sweeping the dirt outside. The others set to work cleaning up the plates and such. 

Leo made it clear with a glare that he didn’t need help when it came to him picking up things. Don and Raph just kept to themselves after Leo had glared at them. 

After a few hours, the place was as clean as it was going to get. Mikey was exhausted, as he had done the sweeping and the place had had some tough dirt to get out. And all the cleaning had also worked up an appetite. 

The turtles set about getting more firewood. They would be cooking over an open fire. There was an old fire pit in the back of the house. They would use that. They put the sticks in there. Don lit a match and threw it in there. 

Some hot dogs were made for the dinner. Lots of hot dogs. Leo’s baby demanded a lot of them. But some burgers were also cooked up. By the time they were done eating, it was dark out, and they were all tired from the day’s work. 

They all went inside with a lantern leading the way. They settled into their sleeping bags, and turned the blaze down. There was also a fire place, and they made sure to have that lit too. They went to sleep. 

Unbeknown to them, they weren’t alone. An angry spirit of a man was watching them. This had been his house. These creatures were intruders here. He didn’t like intruders. He had liked his house the way it was, and they had ruined it for him! 

That night, a big wind did pick up. A chilly wind too, but the turtles slept soundly through it. Nice and warm in their sleeping bags. 

The turtles stayed at the cabin until it was time for them to go. For 3 days, they stayed, but they knew that one of their friends was coming to pick them up, so now it was time to go. They all packed up. They would be eating breakfast at the farmhouse. 

The spirit had watched them. It hadn’t had company in so long, he decided to tag along. He needed some entertainment of his own.


	24. Chapter 24

April came to pick the turtles up, and she was waiting for them to return to the road. They were coming shortly as she pulled up. 

They were all glad to be going home now. It had been nothing but training or hiding in the cabin, as it had gotten a little more colder now, and the temperature was due to drop again. They had had to make a fire in the cabin just to keep warm outside of the sleeping bags. Their food supply had been getting low too. There had only been enough for 3 days. Though Leo had demanded some extra food. 

Leo normally wasn’t a glutton for food, and would normally starve before he let his brothers go hungry, but not now. The unborn life called to him. His bros, mostly Don, could understand that more than anyone. 

The spirit jumped into the van too. He would go with them to their home and cause some chaos for disturbing him. And of course, being dead, he couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. 

The turtles told April of what they had found and stayed in it. 

“You often have to be wary of places like that. They could fall on you.” She warned. 

“We know that, and we made sure it was sound first.” Don said. “It kept us warmer when the wind started a couple of days ago.” 

“I just want to get out of these clothes.” Raph said. 

“Me too.” Mikey added. 

“I’m almost too warm.” Leo said. 

Don was sitting beside him. He put a hand on Leo’s face. The pregnant turtle looked at him. “You feel alright?” 

“Yeah, sure. Fine. I’m just warmer.” Leo said. 

“It’s just the hormones. It’s natural for uh, pregnant ones to have a higher temperature.” April said. 

“Oh.” Mike and Raph said together. 

“He never did once complain about being cold.” Mikey said. 

April turned on the van and took the turtles home. The spirit was sure these living ‘fleshies’ would provide great entertainment after all. 

Once home, they all unpacked their things, but they first got out of the clothes they wore. Then it was time for breakfast. 

Don hugged and kissed both the twins with urgency. He had missed them. But even he and his bros had needed a break from them. They never got to spend time together, just the four of them. And it would probably be the last for awhile. 

“I am never going camping in winter again!” Raph shouted. “I hate clothes!” 

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh. 

The man saw how close this family was, and he didn’t suspect that there was a giant rat or baby turtles living there. “I will do what I can to wreck this family.” He said to himself. No one could hear him. 

The other turtles agreed too. No more camping in winter time. 

When he saw the lead turtle come downstairs again, he noticed a good sized bulge on the belly of him that he didn’t see on the other three. Then it dawned on him. No wonder they had talked about pregnancy. 

This ghost was a bad spirit because he had been a killer in his living life. He had been one who couldn’t be caught. He had just hid out at that cabin and had died there when a black bear attacked him one day. He felt it had not been his time to die. But he was willing to tamper with someone now since he couldn’t for years.

Leo had been so happy that that cabin had not fallen down on them. It had still been nearly in good shape, but it had been totally trashed. But he wasn’t about to go back there again for a long time. There had been something about it that bugged him. He just didn’t want to tell Mikey or the others. He felt guilty about that. 

The ghost saw that the turtle felt guilty about something, and he sensed it easily. This would be a good victim. 

But then, he realized that this could be a chance to be reborn. But he might have taken the chance if the human woman had been expecting. This guy had wished he had had better parents too. He had been an abused child, and it led to him being a killer later. 

Perhaps this turtle would be a better parent. He had to test the grounds, to see if he could reach the child’s spirit and replace it with his own. 

Later, Leo tried taking a nap because he was so tired. The ghost tried his luck then, though he hoped to cause a little chaos too. 

He reached his hand ’into’ Leo’s stomach to try to reach his baby.

Leo suddenly began to feel a painful sensation in his stomach. He cringed in pain. “Agh!” He was awake now. 

The pain stopped when the ghost pulled his hand out. So he could cause some trouble after all. This was going to be fun before he finally replaced the turtle’s baby’s spirit with his own. He reached back in. 

Leo wondered what had caused that painful sensation in his stomach. “Agh!” He put his hands on his stomach. He tried to find a comfortable position to try to stop the pain, but it wasn’t going away. 

The man was trying hard to get a good grip on the soul of Leo’s child. But his moving about kept it from happening entirely. The man was also trying to aggravate the baby enough. He felt it was at the age where it would be felt moving.

Leo was moaning loudly while laying down on his bed. The pain was unbearable. His breathing and heart rate increased. His hands clutched wildly at his stomach. 

“AGH! I can’t take it… anymore! Don! Master Splinter! Anyone! Help!” Leo cried out in pain. 

At the sound of their names and the shouting, everyone came running upstairs to the room. And there on the bed, Leo was curled into a ball, face cringing, showing he was in extreme pain. His hands were clutched tightly to his belly. His legs were pulled up too. 

“Leo! What’s wrong?” Don came running over. 

“I… don’t know. It… hurts! It hurts so… bad!” Leo managed to say before he screamed. 

Don took Leo into his arms. He didn’t know why his big brother was having such a stressful pregnancy so far, and he was only halfway into it. Just in the middle of his second trimester. 

The ghost had a feel of the baby’s spirit. It was strong, much like its father. He finally had to pull his hand out. He would get the spirit of the baby to weaken, even if it took many days to do it. 

Leo finally stopped cringing, and was now panting in Don’s arms. 

“Leo, ya alright?” Raph asked, concerned. 

“I… don’t know, Raph. It just… happened when I tried sleeping. It just came on for no apparent reason.” Leo said, scared of what just happened. 

“What was it feeling like?” Don asked. 

“A deep pressure and burning! It felt like something’s trying to rip my insides out!” Leo cried out. 

He now sat up with Don’s help, and rubbed his aching belly. It wasn’t screaming at him anymore, but it had left behind a good throbbing feeling inside. 

The ghost saw that Leo was scared now. Good. Just like he wanted him to be. He would do it more, several times a day to weaken Leo’s baby’s spirit.


	25. Chapter 25

Over the next few days, the ghost attacking the baby wasn’t letting up. Leo was absolutely refusing to be alone now. And the ghost was just having absolute fun at provoking his baby. Leo was now at 19 weeks.

Finally, during one attack, the baby was so agitated that it kicked out real hard, and Leo actually felt it. 

“Oof! The baby!” Leo said. This was just after the most recent attack. 

“What’s wrong, Leo?” Don asked. He had his arms wrapped around his brother for comfort, as much as he could try to give. 

“I felt it.” Leo said, panting. “I felt it move!” He had a slight smile on, despite his pain. 

“Really?” Don asked. 

“Yes. And I don’t think I’ve been happier to feel it. It means it’s alive.” Leo said. 

Don smiled too. He put his hand on top of Leo’s hand. Just some brotherly comfort and love. 

The ghost however, did not like this one bit. But he knew if he had a chance of trying to take the baby’s soul, he had to let it live. But he did love causing Leo to have panic attacks and pain. Right now, the feeling of love was too strong for him to attack again. 

Don was just glad that Leo was not in labor. It was just the way Leo had such horrific pain that he feared false labor. 

Master Splinter was really worried about his oldest son. He knew that he wanted his child, but he was worried about the concept of what it was doing to his son. There had been one too many mishaps already, and Leonardo was only about nearly halfway through the pregnancy. 

Splinter went into a meditative pose and soon entered the astral plane. He wanted to know if there was something else possibly trying to harm him or his baby. Because there was nothing wrong physically with him, and nothing was stopping the attacks. Just someone holding Leo was the only way Leo could make it through the pain of the attacks. 

The astral plane. 

Splinter looked around. He sensed there was something nearby. He walked towards it. As he got closer, it’s feeling was not a friendly one. 

Then he saw the figure of what appeared to be a human in tattered clothes in front of him. Brown hair, wicked dark eyes. 

“Who are you?” Splinter demanded. 

“Aww! The rat. What are you doing in my domain?” He growled. 

“Trying to find out what is causing my son harm. It is you, isn’t it?” Splinter asked demandingly. 

“Of course.” 

“Why are you trying to harm his baby?” 

"Simple. I need a new body. And the baby just may be the one for me.” 

“I will forbid you from ever being born as my son’s baby! Stop harming him or you will kill the baby and my son!” Splinter yelled. 

“I don’t plan on killing either of them, Rat! I am just agitating the baby’s soul so it will want to leave, and I will take over. That’s why it’s causing your so-called son pain when I attack the baby’s soul. And you can’t stop me! I will have the baby’s soul replaced with my own!” He laughed evilly. 

“Never will you re-enter this world, Demon!” Splinter yelled. 

Splinter now woke up from his meditative state, and he got up immediately. He had to warn his son. 

Leo had been ordered on bed rest for a little while because of these vicious attacks. Splinter came up to the room where he and Raph were now keeping each other company. 

“My sons! I have just come out of meditation and I have some bad news, Leonardo!” Splinter said in a worrying voice. 

Leo and Raph looked over at their father. “What kind of bad news?” Raph asked. 

“It’s about your baby, Leonardo.” Splinter said. 

“What about the baby?” Leo asked, suddenly so worried about its safety that he put a hand on his stomach.

“I was in the astral plane just moments ago, and I have to warn you about what is causing these attacks on the baby. There is an evil spirit trying to attack your child.” Splinter said in a hurry. 

Leo’s eyes widened. “An evil spirit? What does it want?” 

“He wants your child’s soul.” 

“WHAT!?” Leo and Raph shouted in unison. 

Leo sat up real fast. “What does he want with it’s soul? Is he trying to take it’s life because of something I’ve done?” 

“He had not said. He never even told me his name or why he is here. But he wants to replace the baby’s soul with his own. He is trying to agitate the baby before he does so.” Splinter explained. 

“He ain’t getting my niece or nephew’s soul!” Raph snarled. 

Don and Mikey now came running up the stairs. They had heard the shouts and yells. They both had to know what was going on. 

“What’s going on up here?” Don asked. 

“Leo’s baby’s life is in real danger!” Raph blurted out. 

“What?! How? Why?” Don asked in a panic. 

“An evil spirit wants its soul!” 

“I don’t get why he would be doing this. Is there something I’ve done for this to happen?” Leo asked.

“We don’t know, Leo. But we will find out.” Raph promised. 

“The only way we can talk to this spirit is through meditation, and find out why is he here.” Splinter said. “If you could join me, my sons. We must stop him from harming Leonardo and the baby any more.” 

All four turtles joined Splinter on the floor and got in sitting positions. This had to be stopped now before it got worse. But at least there was an answer to why Leo was having so much pain. 

But before they could really begin, Leo felt the pain again. “Oh no! It’s attacking me again!” He grunted in pain. He had his hands clutched on his swelling. “Oh! Please, Spirit! Stop! Stop hurting… me!” 

The pain got so intense this time that Leo began to lean over to the side. Don got to him first. “Just try to breath, Leo!” 

“It… hurts!” Leo cried. 

“I have an idea, my sons.” Splinter said. 

“Anything! Just please, make the pain stop!” Leo said, tears in his eyes now. 

“Put all of your hands on Leonardo’s stomach.” Splinter said. 

Splinter and Leo and his brothers all put their hands on Leo’s belly. “Focus, my sons. Think of strong, loving energy. It should be enough to stop him this time.” 

Don, Leo, Raph, Splinter, and Mikey all focused on how much they loved each other and this child. That they wanted it to be born healthy, and it would have two cousins. 

Their energy from their chi’s also came out and into the focusing. Leo tried the hardest to focus. He had to protect his baby. 

In the astral plane, the turtles and Splinter were there now, and they were all focusing real hard to drive the demon ghost out. 

The ghost man found it hard to stay there from such strong, powerful energy. He was driven out of the attack, but now he was able to be seen by the turtles and Splinter. 

“You will not have my child’s soul!” Leo shouted at him.

“Get out of here!” Raph added. 

“Go back to where you came from!” Mikey said. 

“We will protect his baby with our lives!” Don said. 

“But you were the ones who invaded my home, and now a price must be paid.” The man finally said. 

“What are you talking about?” Leo demanded. 

“When you came into that cabin, that was my home. And I haven’t had so much fun in a long time. And the baby gives me an opportunity to be born again. It was not my time to die.” He said. 

The turtles realized what he was saying. No wonder Leo had been more uncomfortable there. 

“You are better off having an afterlife than taking the baby’s innocent soul. I sense in you much evil, and this baby has done nothing.” Splinter said. 

“Even so, I will not allow you to take my baby’s soul from it!” Leo yelled angrily. His energy then got stronger for the love of his child. 

“Do what Leonardo is doing, my sons. Send this spirit away.” Splinter ordered. 

More energy rose from Leo’s brothers as well, and it began to channel into a flame, like it had done some years ago against the Shredder’s evil Foot Mystics. 

The man was not liking this at all. He knew the family was making their point known to him that he was not welcome here, and not welcome in Leo’s baby’s body.

The energy reached him and it pushed him far into the astral plane. 

The turtles and Splinter woke up, and now took their hands off of Leo. 

“Wow! That was beyond incredible!” Mikey said. 

“We saved the baby.” Raph said. 

“And I hope he never comes back. Guys, we must stay away from that cabin in the woods.” Leo said. He put his hand on his belly and rubbed. “So, no more attacks?” 

“No more pain and attacks, my son.” Splinter said and hugged Leo. 

“Thanks guys. But I just don’t get it. Why is everything happening to me?” Leo asked. 

“What do you mean?” Mikey asked. 

“I mean that I’ve had a whole lot of problems almost the moment I accepted being pregnant.” Leo said sadly. 

“You must not think these bad thoughts, Leonardo. That’s what bad spirits feed off of.” Splinter said. 

“And we will get you through this pregnancy together.” Don said. 

Leo smiled, but he couldn’t help but wonder. “Thanks.” 

After that, the evil spirit never came back. And Leo was now experiencing something new: movements from his baby! 

The movements were light and gentle like. It was almost the baby’s way of saying, “Thank you for saving my life, Daddy.” 

Leo couldn’t have been more prouder and happier just to feel that his child was alive.


	26. Chapter 26

By the end of the month, it was time to go home. After the incident with the ghost demon, Leo wanted to go home. 

Leo wasn’t feeling too much in the way of big movements from Junior at the moment, but he did seem to know when it was moving. He felt ‘butterflies’ in his stomach, and this time, it wasn’t from feeling something for a girl. 

The only time he had felt the biggest movement was from the spirit man attacking it one time, and that was it. Now it was just very little flutter movements. Leo was so glad to feel them. Now he knew what Don had felt. 

At 20 weeks, the baby now weighed about 11 ounces and was roughly 7 inches long. 

Another thing to go home for was Leo needed another exam, especially from Leatherhead. Even though Leo could ‘feel’ he/she was alive, Junior just needed to be examined to see if there was any damage done to it. This had been the second worst incident happening to Leo since he had officially accepted being pregnant. He really hoped something wasn’t wrong with it. 

Leo wasn’t too ecstatic to be going back into Leatherhead’s sonogram machine. He let the laser do it’s thing by running over his body. 

The whole family was at Leatherhead’s, to make sure that Leo and the baby were alright. 

When Don and LH looked on the picture on the screen when it came to, Leo has suffered no major damage. The baby seemed to be fine too. Leo just hoped he wouldn’t regret something later because of something that happened while he was pregnant. 

“All we can do is wait for the birth to see that the baby is ok.” Don said. “Just 4 more months, Leo.” 

“I just hope I can last that long.” Leo said. 

“You will. You’ve lasted this long.” Mikey added.

“I just don’t want anymore big mishaps like this one.” Leo said. 

When they got back to the lair, Splinter took Leo into his room to talk to him alone. 

Leo kneeled down and Splinter sat across from him. “Leonardo, I have to say that you have done really well in this pregnancy as far as you have.”

“Thanks, Master Splinter.” 

“But there is a matter that needs to be taken care of.” Splinter said. 

“What’s that?” 

“I feel that it is time for you to make a decision on who the new leader should be when your brothers go on patrol. It is getting too dangerous for you on the surface.” 

“But I can’t just stay home and stare at the walls all the time, Master.” Leo said. 

“You don’t have to do that. You would be in charge of Akemi and Virgil when they are out of their room, and I would help you. That way, it also gives you more baby experience so you will know how to handle your own when it is born.” 

“Thanks, Sensei, but I sure would miss the fresh air and fighting the bad guys.” Leo said. 

“Well, for now, Leonardo, that kind of stuff is off limits to you. Your belly is big enough now that it is a big target for enemies. I don’t mind you going to April’s, but you will only go in the Battle Shell. No more running around with your brothers until further notice.”

“Awww! What about training?” Leo asked. 

“You can still do your pregnancy exercises. But doing the ninja ones can be more difficult as your middle gets bigger and bigger.” Splinter said. 

Leo knew he wasn’t going to let himself get lazy at all. He would be careful with the exercises. 

Starting the next day, the turtles didn’t know how much the Foot might still be looking for them, so Don set it on himself to start making more better security for the lair. He put up cameras up as far away, but close to the lair as maybe a mile away in many directions. He also made them have stronger gears in them to even spot the possibility of invisible bodies. Like for Foot techs, or even for shape shifters like the space lizard women that had impregnated Don and Leo. 

And for more safety reasons, Donny also came up with more tracking devices that in the case if the turtles were kidnapped without anyone knowing, he also made some real small ones that he made himself and his brothers, and even his twins, to have one in under the bridge of their shells. 

A thought that was still plaguing Leo was how was he going to give birth. He had been glad to find out that there was nothing wrong with his baby while they had been at Leatherhead’s, but with everyone looking, he had been embarrassed about asking if he could check out that possibility. Leo was sure that Don wouldn’t let him deliver naturally, or could he? 

Now that Don had recovered and joined the team again after so long, and he had had a long recovery. Leo dreaded the possibility of having to have his stomach cut, and a long recovery from that. Leo HAD to know if it was possible to deliver naturally. He couldn’t get it out of his head. 

Leo went to Master Splinter and told him that he still had concerns about the baby, and he was going to see LH alone. 

“Very well, my son. Be careful.” Splinter said. 

“I will.” Leo said, and left the lair. He didn’t have a problem with Leonardo visiting their croc friend. 

………..

Leo knocked on the door. LH answered. 

“Hello, Leonardo. What brings you by?” The croc greeted. “You were just here yesterday.” 

“I know, Leatherhead, but I just have a big question. Would I be able to give birth naturally?” Leo asked. “I didn’t want to ask yesterday when everyone else was around. It felt too personal.” 

“I understand. Well, I can have a look at your scans.” The croc said. 

He went to his desk to check on Leo’s scans. Leo followed him. 

When he looked at the scan, it was mostly from the frontal look. LH needed to get a side view of the pregnant turtle to be sure, before he resorted to feeling inside of him. 

Leo looked carefully at the picture too, not really sure if his friend could see anything. 

“I think I need to look at the computer scan. I need to see a side view of your abdominal cavity.” LH said before turning to get on his computer. 

Leo kept out of his way. “Ok.” 

LH got on the computer and looked at the internal organs and where the baby was at. He was sure that a side view was also possible without having to make Leo get back into the machine. He flipped through some pages, and found a good side view from the left side. He had programmed his machine to take pictures from the side too. 

He looked carefully. He could see the ’uterus’ that the baby was being nourished and growing inside of. But he didn’t see an exit point for it. It was behind the testicles in Leo’s body. It was parallel with his own natural exit, but could it pass out of him that way? It might tear something. 

“Looking at this side scan shows me that there is not really a good exit for the baby to pass through, Leonardo. It could kill you if it does. Donatello had the same condition.” LH said. 

“Donny said that the womb has to burst before there is a way for the baby to be able to pass out from the womb.” Leo said. 

“Yes, but the baby would have to get into your rectum somehow, and that just can’t happen. If it bursts, the baby would be stuck inside you and it would die. Toxins would build up, and you would get sick, or you could die. A c-section is safer, my friend. Donatello has recovered well from his.” LH said. 

Leo looked down sadly. But maybe it was for the better, if he wanted to save his life and his child’s. 

“Thanks Leatherhead.” Leo said and left his home. 

“Glad I could be of help.” The croc said as he left.


	27. Chapter 27

Leo knew that he really needed some relaxing time after all he had been through over the past several weeks. He really hoped that their enemies didn’t try something anytime too soon. He really wanted his pregnancy to be over with before something like that happened. 

He also still needed to think up who was going to be the new leader. He thought about his second in command brother. 

Raph these days wasn’t too bad around him. He was supportive and caring. He knew not to upset Leo because of his condition. But he was still every bit as protective as he had always been. On the streets, he still ran head first into fights without thinking. 

That’s where Donny could come in. Don had become somewhat of a leader too since he had become a father. And his leader side showed through at its best when Akemi and Virgil had been kidnapped. But at the moment, Don was happy to just be a follower again. 

But Don, Mikey, and Raph all knew the time was approaching when Leo wouldn’t be able to lead them on the streets anymore. They knew that Splinter was pressuring him about it. If he didn’t have an answer by the end of the month, Splinter would choose for him. 

Leo also began to want to think up names for his little one. He knew he liked Japanese names best since he loved the culture. 

Leo began to play more and more with Akemi and Virgil. He was trying to get as much experience as possible before his baby would be born. He had counted it up as much as he could. His baby was going to be due in June. Good time of year. 

Finally, one week after, Leo had finally finished his thinking on who the new leader would be, just while the other 3 would ever leave the lair for patrols. 

Leo wanted everyone together so they would all know. They met in the living room for a family meeting. 

“Ok, everyone. It has been a hard job for me to try to think of who will replace me as the leader when you are out of the lair doing patrols.” Leo started. 

“Go on, Leonardo.” Splinter said. 

“This is hard for me, guys, but I know I don’t have a choice about this. Raph, you will be the new leader. I will help guide you in ways to be a good leader if needed.” Leo said. 

Raph was a bit shocked that his big brother had chosen him. “Why me?” 

“Because you have shown tolerance and calmed down a lot. But I won’t have you doing this alone. I have chosen a second leader as well, to help balance you when you are out.” Leo said. 

“A second leader?” Mikey asked. 

“Yes, Mikey. Donny, you are going to be his second in command while I have to be cooped up down here.” Leo declared. 

Don asked. “Why me?” 

“Because since you have become a father, I have seen great leaps in your ability to be a leader too. You can help Raph out when things get rougher out there. And Raph, please try to listen to Don when he knows another solution other than fighting could happen.” Leo said.

“I’ll try, Leo.” Raph said. 

“Thanks, Leo. It really is an honor that you feel that way about me.” Don said. He came over and gave Leo a hug. 

“And it’s an honor for all of you to be my family.” Leo said proudly. 

Mikey was glad that he had not been chosen for the leader role. He knew it held so much responsibility, and he wasn’t quite ready for that. But he didn’t mind the responsibility of being an uncle and cook of the family.

………..

Leo was eating quite healthily these days. He was probably the most healthy eater of all four turtles. Eating more fruits and veggies. But right now, he did also have some wacky cravings for greasy foods, ice cream, and even more dairy products. 

When it came to the sweets that he craved, April had read that it was better for Leo to have the sweets he wanted rather than fight them. But she made sure to buy sweets that were more healthy and low in sugar. 

He was now 21 weeks along. The fetus had grown to 10.5 inches - 12.7 ounces or so.

Something else had started too, though Leo couldn’t really feel them. Practice contractions known as Braxton Hick’s contractions. 

Leo was feeling his baby move around and kick him much more. He liked it, for now, knowing that his baby was alive. The movements were getting to be more forceful now rather than a butterfly sensation. 

The baby was also capable of hearing Leo’s voice and even some sounds from outside his belly. Even other voices. Leo read about the baby hearing sounds, and even had an idea. 

He went to Mikey one day and asked if he could borrow his headphones. 

Mikey looked at him in an odd way, but happily consented. Leo never liked to listen to music on his headphones. But what he did with them totally surprised Mikey. 

Mikey saw Leo put the headphones against his belly. 

“Uh, what are you doing, Leo?” Mikey had to ask. 

Leo looked up at his brother. “I read in one of the books that the baby should be able to hear sounds now. Like the sound of my voice, and the sounds that this music can do. I just wanted to play some music to see how Junior responds.” 

“Oh, ok.” Mikey said, still a little flattered that Leo was doing this. 

Leo hit the Play button and some rocking music played. Leo could hear it just fine. But could the baby hear it? 

From inside Leo, there was a sound coming that was weird to the baby. It was disturbing Junior’s sleep, but it moved towards the sounds. Junior gave some punches and kicks to Leo’s belly. 

Leo flinched a bit. He giggled. 

“What?” Mikey asked. 

“Junior kicked me.” Leo said with a smile. 

Mikey couldn’t help but smile too. “Now you’re feeling what Donny felt all those months ago.” 

“Yes. It was only a matter of time.” Leo said, and he took the headphones off his belly. “Thanks Mikey.” 

“You’re welcome. Maybe you should listen to more music.” 

“Another time, little bro.” Leo said. 

He now went to the dojo to try to do some meditation. He got comfortable as he could, as now it was a little more difficult with what some pain he felt in his legs and back. Then, just as he was about to begin meditating, Mikey came into the dojo. 

“What is it now, Mikey?” Leo asked. 

“Can I just ask for some payment that I let you use my headphones?” 

“Mikey. I’m not giving you any money for more comic books.” Leo said. 

“No, no. I mean, can I feel Junior?” 

Leo sighed. “Alright. Though I don’t think Junior’s active right now.” 

“I still want to feel him or her.” Mikey said. “Maybe if I talk to them, they might react to my voice too.” 

Leo unfolded his legs so he could lay back a bit. Mikey came over beside him and sat down, then placed a hand on Leo’s swollen belly. He tried rubbing it first, but couldn’t feel anything. 

“Where did he kick ya the most?” Mikey asked. 

Leo took his hand and guided it to the spot directly in the middle of the swelling. 

Mikey now wanted to talk to Junior. “Hey there, little guy. I’m your Uncle Mikey.” He said. “Wake up, Sleepy Head.” 

Nothing. 

“Awww! He won’t move.” Mikey whined. 

“It’s more active when I try to get some sleep. So sorry that you’re not feeling it move.” Leo said. He was ready to sit up now and get on with his meditation. 

“Go on now, Mikey. I need to do my meditation.” Leo said. “You can feel it later.” 

“Aww! I want to feel it now.” 

“Later. Go find something else to do.” Leo urged Mikey. 

“Alright. Later tonight then?” 

“We’ll see.” Leo said. 

“I let you use my headphones.” Mikey said. 

“Alright. I’ll let you know.” 

Mikey left with the anticipation that he was going to feel his niece or nephew move. 

To Leo, in a way, it was fair. He wasn’t meaning for any trouble, Mikey was just excited. 

Later, toward morning in the human world, as the turtles were preparing to go to bed, Mikey came to Leo’s room, and as promised, Leo laid down and got comfortable. Mikey sat on the bed. He was just waiting for his cue from Leo for when Junior would be active. 

Within 20 minutes of laying down, Leo felt some kicking and rolling from inside him. “Now Mikey. The same spot.” Leo said. 

Mikey instantly had his hand on Leo’s belly, waiting for feeling movements. He could feel how Leo’s plastron plates felt a little bit softer, and it was allowing his belly to stretch. 

The baby finally rolled over inside Leo, and Mikey actually felt it. 

“That is so cool!” Mikey said happily. “I felt it!” 

“So did I. I think it rolled over, looking for more room.” Leo said. 

“Do you feel uncomfortable at all?” Mikey asked. 

“Hmm, no. Not too much just yet. I feel fine.” Leo said. “Go to bed now, Mikey.” 

“Night, Leo.” 

“Night, Mikey.” 

………..

The next day, Don decided it was time to weigh his pregnant brother. He needed to see how much weight he had gained. 

Leo had weighed about 180 pounds prior to his pregnancy. Looking at his chart, Don saw that by this week, 21 to 22, Leo should be up to at least 187 pounds. Though everything was being done from a human scale here. 

Leo dreaded the weight thing right now. He hated having to be told he had to gain weight, but he had to. The baby was half his body weight, plus everything else he carried that nourished the baby inside him. 

“Come on, Leo. It’s not going to bite.” Don said jokingly. 

Leo stood nervously before the scale. “Ok.” He took a deep breath, and slowly stepped on the scale. 

He looked down and he weighed 186.7 pounds. 

Don looked at it and said, “A little below average of what should be gained, but not too bad, Leo. It’s close.” 

“It just feels so weird having my weight monitored like this.” Leo said. 

“I had to have mine monitored, but that was something I secretly did myself.” Don said. “But it’s to make sure you’re eating enough to gain the weight for the baby.” 

“In my first trimester, it wasn’t easy to eat enough food. I couldn’t keep any food down, aside from crackers and toast.” Leo said. 

“Yeah. I know it’s not easy with the morning sickness.” 

“It was anything but morning sickness.” Leo said. 

“Yep. I agree. I was in your place.” Donny said. “Well, you are eating well, Leo, but you may need to eat a little bit more. You are feeding two stomachs after all.” 

“I know. I’m just trying to keep my baby healthy.” Leo said. “Trying not to eat too much junk food.” 

“It’s better to eat the foods you are craving. It could mean that those craved foods have some mineral or vitamin in it that your body is needing. You have been eating plenty of yogurt and drinking milk, right?” 

“Yes, why?” 

“The baby and you need plenty of calcium.” 

“I know. Can’t have bone loss.” 

“The baby would easily steal nutrients from you first.” Don said. 

“I’m making up for what I lost those many weeks ago.” Leo said. 

“Yes, you are. You’re fine for now. You can go and do what you want.” Don said. “Thanks.” 

Just as he was turning to leave, his left foot tripped him on the scale. “Whoa!” 

Don instantly grabbed him. “You ok?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a clumsy moment. Tripped on the scale.” Leo said. 

“Yeah, it happens sometimes. Just be careful.” Don now let go of him. 

“I’m trying to be.” He then left the lab. 

Leo went to the dojo to do his yoga exercises. He was also still keeping in shape too.


	28. Chapter 28

Donny wasn’t sure exactly when Leo was due to have his baby. He didn’t have a due date exactly, as it was a guess, since the turtles didn’t go through what human girls went through normally every month. But Don tried to think back to what Leo had told him when he and Lavish had mated. 

He found that Leo was estimated to be due in late June to early July. It was a little hard to tell for sure. But at least the baby was due at a good, if hot time of the year. 

Don was glad that he had some good heaters down here in the lair. Since they got back from the farmhouse, they had been having very minimal contact with the topside world because it was so cold out. 

Akemi and Virgil were wearing some baby clothes right now in this cold weather. They were constantly wrapped in blankets so they would have less chances of getting sick. They were about 9 months old right now. They did fight the clothes at times too, but the adults were strict about them wearing clothes if not the blankets. 

Donatello was proud of himself that he had brought his twins into life for this long. And now he had to be there for Leo and his unborn baby. Helping his pregnant brother still sometimes made him feel sorry for Leo, that this had happened to him too. 

Having kids wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but it had. Don still had his worries, but he had been glad that Leo had also chosen him to be a second in command to help Raph out on patrols. 

It was also good that Splinter had allowed minimal access outside for Leo because of how easily he could lose his footing on the rooftops and slippery surfaces. Even though Leo wasn’t all too big yet, it was just safer that he didn’t fall on his stomach. 

Don, Raph, and Mikey had already had their fair share of slipping on the rooftops a few times since being back home, and it had snowed quite a bit. The only sure way they stayed warm was adding clothes on, and keeping on moving. 

Leo wanted to be out helping them, but it was too dangerous for him in his condition. He had the more pleasurable job of taking care of Don’s twins. 

………..

A few weeks later, now in March, the temperatures were starting to rise. 

Leo was so looking forward to spring weather again. He wanted to be out and about again. But now, his belly was much more swollen than a few weeks ago. He was now at 24 weeks. 

The child was now gaining around 3 ounces a week. The baby weighed about 1.3 pounds and was 12 inches long. 

Leo could often feel little bumps inside him, and he figured that was when his child was having sets of hiccups. But he could feel the real movements quite more easily now, and the baby was more active when he tried to sleep. 

Mikey was still insistent on wanting to feel the baby move. And the baby also did react a little to Mikey’s voice. But Leo was sure his baby knew all of his family’s voices by now. 

Leo had started to easily run out of breath. The baby was pressing upwards and on his organs. He got hot easily because he had a more increased blood supply in his system. His heart and lungs were also working more overtime too. 

Leo still did his yoga exercises. He missed sparring with his brothers and father, but it just wasn’t going to happen for a few more months. 

April kept on buying him the prenatal vitamins, among his healthy foods. 

Even at 24 weeks, Leo knew that he had come so far in this pregnancy, but the due date, around July 1st, still seemed to be ages away. Why couldn’t the time go a little faster? He already wanted the baby out of him. 

Sure, he wanted the baby, but Leo didn’t want all the attention to be focused on him. He wanted to take care of his family. He still could. 

He helped to guide Raph as much as he could. Donny helped too. Raph sometimes got a little nervous now that he was a substitute leader. 

Don was also checking on the baby once a month. It wasn’t really possible to tell the baby’s sex, though two loud mouthed brothers wanted to know. It was a surprise well worth waited for. 

……….

Agent Bishop was back in town and he had been disappointed in the last meeting with the turtles, which had been months ago. He still had no leads to that alien spaceship. But he did want to know what had happened to Donatello since then. 

The babies were sure to have been born over 9 months ago. Or he could have died having them. 

Bishop ordered his commandoes to start searching the city for the turtles. He wanted the one in the purple mask most of all. He also wanted to know how the pregnancy had went. 

………..

Donny was out alone tonight at the junkyard. His senses were on high alert now. He needed more stuff for the security to be put up. One had burnt out. 

All of a sudden, a laser shot out right at him. He jumped and was barely able to avoid getting shot. He turned around and there were about 10 commandoes surrounding him. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have gone alone.” Don said. But everyone else had been busy tonight. 

The turtle took out his Bo staff and prepared to defend himself. “Tell Bishop he’s not getting me back!” Don said and made a run for it. He placed his staff on the ground nearest to the commandoes, and he leaped over them. Then he continued to run. 

Shots were fired after him. 

Don figured the shots were just aimed on Stun. Bishop would want him alive. 

Don was aiming to get away from the humans, but eventually, before he could close in on a manhole cover, one of the guns did land a good shot to the top part of his shell and the back of his head. 

The turtle cried out in pain, and fell over. His shell cell luckily stayed in his belt, but when he was picked up, the phone was taken out, and put with his duffle bag and Bo staff on the ground. 

Don was laid down again, and his hands were pulled behind his back and tied so if he came to too early, then put into a transport truck and was being taken to Bishop’s new lab base. The men had no idea what they wanted him for, but it was their boss’ business only.


	29. Chapter 29

Bishop was glad that he got the call that the purple masked turtle was alive and well. “Bring him on in when you get him here.” The evil man said. 

It didn’t take too much longer for the commandoes to bring Don in, strapped to a gurney. He was still unconscious. Then the men left their boss alone with the turtle, to do what he liked with him. 

Bishop looked down at Don’s stomach first off. It looked to be back to normal. He also looked on the sides for signs of stretch marks. There were a few. That’s when Bishop realized that Donatello had carried for quite a while longer than when he had had him. 

As much as dissection seemed like a great idea to him, he wanted to run a few tests on Don first. After all, he had been pregnant not too long ago. Maybe it was possible to repeat the process. It would be interesting to have a baby turtle to study. 

Bishop went off to get some tools and an ultrasound machine, as he wanted to study what Don’s internal structure looked like now. He already had dissection saws and such in the room. He could get a internal structure that way too. 

Bishop soon had the tools and machine and brought them into the room. He saw Don was still out. It would make the process of taking samples so much easier. 

Bishop took some skin samples first off of Don’s arms. A bit deep for small wounds. Then he collected some blood samples. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to get semen samples, but he would try later on. But he was going to see if the turtle was pregnant again, and if not, he was going to make a new baby. 

Don’s breathing was steady. 

Bishop now ran the laser scan over Don’s body like he had months ago, and like the first time they met. 

The scan showed Don’s internal structure and what warmth he had, but as Bishop studied the belly part, there was no sign of life in the turtle’s stomach, other than just Don‘s own organs. 

Donny was now starting to come around while Bishop studied the scan. 

It was a little bit harder to open his eyes, as the bright light was shining in them, but he adjusted them quickly enough. “Where am I?” Don asked. 

Bishop now turned around. “Ah, welcome Donatello. Good to see you’re awake.” 

“Bishop! What do you want this time?” Don said nervously. “Or should I have to ask.” 

“Why, I want to know how you had those twins of yours? You had them alive right?” Bishop asked. 

“That’s none of your business, Bishop! My twins are my concern.” Don said. “Not yours.” 

“But it was just not possible for a male turtle like you to be pregnant in the first place. I also want to know how that came to be?” The man asked. 

“Again, I’m not telling you anything!” 

“Come, come now, Donatello. You can tell me, or I can let the DNA do the talking.” Bishop warned. 

“My DNA would tell you nothing of how I was impregnated.” Don said. He felt some pain on his arms. He knew Bishop had to have taken something by now, though he had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

“If I had the twins, they would tell me plenty of who the other source was that got you pregnant.” 

“Yes, but you won’t know because I’ll never tell you where they are!” Don yelled. He was scared and mad all at the same time. 

“But if you are not pregnant now, I can find a way to get you pregnant again so I can have my own baby turtle to study. Your family won’t be finding you anytime soon, Donatello.” 

Don’s eyes widened at the statement of possibly being pregnant again. He didn’t want to be pregnant again. And he would never give up a child to this monster. 

Bishop now brought a wheeled machine over. Don recognized it as an ultrasound machine. He began to struggle. He had a feeling he knew what Bishop was going to do with that. 

Once he had the machine by Don’s table, he now turned to him and began undoing Don’s belt. 

“Don’t touch me!” Don said, struggling. 

Bishop tried to hurry to get the belt off; it was in the way of what he wanted to examine. It didn’t take him long to undo the knot in the belt and then he let it fall upon the table. 

Don’s breathing had picked up. His belly was now exposed to the evil man, and the scar was still visible. There was a strap over his upper abdomen, but Don knew that if Bishop was wanting to even think about getting him pregnant again, he would have to examine the lower parts of his belly. 

Now that the belt was out of the way, Bishop now saw a line across the turtle’s lower stomach. It was definitely a scar that looked somewhat new. 

“This line down here shows me that you must have had a c-section to have the twins, am I right?” Bishop asked. 

“It’s not your business!” Don said. 

“Always the stubborn one, Donatello.” 

“I’ll never tell you anything about them!” 

“Well, how would you feel if you never got to see them again?” Bishop stated. It was more of a statement than a question.

“The others will find me. They know how much the twins need me.” Don said. 

“So sure of yourself. All of you would be feeling that way, that your family will find you.” 

“Shell yes, they will!” Don said. 

“Well, enough talk, it’s time for your ultrasound.” Bishop said. 

Don struggled some more in the straps. 

……….

It was nearing dawn in the city. 

At the lair, Leo knew that his brother Don had gone to the junkyard for supplies, but that had been hours ago. He would know to come home by now. Leo was getting worried, and stress was not good for him when he was carrying this baby. 

It was lucky in a way that Leo had not gone with Don, or else his life would be more in jeopardy than Don’s. Because Bishop would try to get his hands on Leo’s baby. 

Leo went to the others and asked them if they had seen Don.

“Nope. Not since before he left.” Raph said. 

“Earlier today, but not for awhile.” Mikey said. 

Mike and Raph were playing some video games right now. 

“It’s just, I’m getting a bad feeling, like Don’s in trouble.” Leo said. “He should have been back by now.” 

“He goes out all the time and stays out for hours on end trying to gather supplies.” Mikey said. “I’m sure he’s fine.” 

“Maybe. I knew he shouldn’t have gone alone. He should have called if he was going to be late.” Leo said. 

“Yeah, but you ain’t goin’ with him in your condition, Leo.” Raph said. 

“I’m going to call him to make sure he’s alright.” Leo said and walked away from the other two to try to hear better. 

He picked up his phone and dialed Don’s number, but Don never picked up. He tried again, and again, nothing. Now Leo was really worried. 

“Guys!” Leo came back over. “Donny’s not picking up! We need to go track him down.” 

Mikey paused the game. “Aww! We were just getting to the good round.” He whined. 

“If Don’s in trouble, Mikey, we need to go find him.” Raph said. 

“I know. I care about him too. Just getting to the good round was all.” 

“You can play again later. Right now, we have to find him.” Leo said seriously. He was now heading to Don’s lab to find his phone tracker. 

Leo got online and typed in the phone tracker signal. Raph and Mikey appeared behind him shortly after, wanting to know where their brainy bro was too. 

There was a beeping light, purple, from a junkyard uptown. “We need to go there and see if Don’s hurt.” Raph said. 

“I’m there.” Mikey said. 

“Take some of Don’s medical supplies in case he is.” Leo said. “We all know basic first aid.” 

“Yep, we do.” Raph said. 

Some medical supplies and bandages were loaded into another duffle bag, and then Raph and Mikey hit the road in the Battle Shell. Leo wanted to come, but he couldn’t go. He had to stay behind and babysit the twins. Someone had to. Splinter couldn’t handle them by himself. 

Raph had wanted to take the Shell Cycle, but if Don was hurt, they would need the Battle Shell to transport him. 

They soon arrived at the junkyard uptown, and got out of the truck and followed Don’s tracker. They soon came upon Don’s stuff. His phone, duffle bag, and Bo. 

“No! He can’t be gone!” Mikey cried out. 

“Take it easy, Mikey. We’ll find him.” Raph tried to keep Mikey calm. 

Raph then called Leo. 

“Leo, we found Don’s stuff, but Donny himself ain’t here.” 

“Look up his other tracker. The one that Don put under our shells.” Leo advised. 

Raph looked up Don’s other signal, and it was still on Don. The beeping came from over in Queens. 

“It’s coming from Queens Island. We have to go there and get him.” Raph said. 

“It’s good you found him, Raph.” Leo said. “Now we all have to go get him.” 

“Not you, Leo. We may need some extra help though.” Mikey said.

“Right. Call April and Casey, and get Master Splinter up.” Raph said. “We’ll be back to discuss the plans.” 

“Gotcha.” Leo said. 

Leo woke up Splinter, and called their human friends, that it was an emergency that they come down to the lair immediately. Raph and Mikey were on their way back. 

Everyone was soon back in the lair. The humans were tired, but were glad to be of any help necessary. 

“Donny’s missing.” Leo began. “We have found his tracking signals.” 

“He’s over in Queens, but we did find his stuff in the junkyard uptown.” Raph said. 

“We’ll get him back, no matter what it takes.” Leo said. 

“Yes, we will, my son, but you are not going in your condition, Leonardo. You must stay here and take care of Akemi and Virgil. I will go with them to track down Donatello.” Splinter said. 

Leo couldn’t help but give a small groan. 

“I’ll stay here and talk you through the rescue.” April said. “And to keep Leo company.” 

“Good. Now let’s go get our brother back.” Raph said. 

Raph, Mikey, Casey, and Splinter left the lair to go get Donny back.


	30. Chapter 30

Don tried struggling to get free as much as he could, to not let Bishop get a good look at his insides. 

“I’ll never let you have my babies!” Don snarled angrily. 

Bishop already had gel on Don’s belly and was trying to get a good look inside to try to find a good spot and maybe see where the twins had grown from. This turtle maybe was a hermaphrodite. 

“Stop moving!” Bishop finally warned him. 

Don didn’t listen, and kept on moving. 

This made Bishop real angry, and he finally hit the bound turtle hard in the face. 

It turned Don’s head real fast, and it made him still. Bishop went back to work, as Don’s struggle had ceased. 

Don turned his head back around. Pain stung his face. Tears had welled up. A large bruise would be there on his face no doubt. It was never nice to be hit by that man. 

Bishop was looking down in Don’s lower belly. He could see the digestive organs, and even Don’s reproductive organs, and they were all male. He didn’t see a trace of female organs at all. But then, how had the pregnancy happened? 

“You have to be part female in order to have carried those babies. But I am seeing nothing female inside of you.” Bishop said. 

Don gave him a strong glare. “I told you you’re not going to impregnate me!” 

“I will find a way. Do some tests on you, and eventually, you will be pregnant again.” Bishop said. 

Don knew this guy wasn’t kidding. He could just about accomplish anything. But this was one thing where Don was going to do everything he could to make sure the man failed. 

Just then, an alarm went off. 

“Impossible! The commandoes told me they left your tracking phone back where they captured you.” Bishop said. 

Don smiled. Now the new trackers that he had on under his shell had come in handy after all. 

……….

The family had come to the place where Don’s tracker was. They split into two teams. Raph and Casey, and Mikey and Splinter. 

“We’ve arrived at the place, April.” Raph said. 

April was on Don’s computer and she did an outline of the place. She told them there were many places in the building that Don could be. Above ground was mostly empty. The turtles should have known by now that most of Bishop’s bases in New York were hidden underground. 

Leo stood behind April. He was wanting to know what was going on too. He didn’t understand all of what she was doing with the tech, but he did know that she was just trying to guide the rescue teams. They all had beeping blips on themselves to show where they were, and had now split up to find Don. 

Right now, among the ones searching for Donny, Splinter was the one who had the strongest senses. He guided his youngest son to where he was sensing Don’s presence and scent. Splinter had assured the other two that he could track Donatello with his own senses, while they had taken the tracking device. But everyone did have tracking gear in their phones too. 

Raph and Casey ran throughout the building, opening elevators and doors of all kinds, and bashing and beating every commando they came in contact with. The blip was beeping more and more the closer they got to Don’s signal. 

Raph and Casey now burst through the doors where Don was. 

“Bishop! Get away from my brother!” Raph snarled. 

“Raph! Get me out of here!” Don cried out. 

“Let him go, Bishop!” Casey said. 

“Nice to see that you have found me, but I have every intention of keeping Donatello for myself to learn his secrets of how he got pregnant.” Bishop said. 

“It’s not going to happen, Bishop!” Raph said, “Now let him go!” 

“We will see, Raphael.” The man said. 

Then Raph let out a angry snarl and he charged at the man. Casey charged too. 

Of course, Bishop was not an easy human to take down. Just like the turtles, he had martial arts discipline too. And almost no one but Splinter could get a hit on him. He had even been a match for Karai and Hun once, and chances are, he still was. 

……..

Mikey and Splinter were now closing in to the room too. 

“He is very close.” Splinter said. 

“I hope he’s ok.” Mikey said. 

“I hope so too.” The rat said. 

Soon, they found the room based on Don’s scent from Splinter having found it, and his senses guiding them there. 

They came into the room and saw Don tied to a table, but Raph and Casey fighting Bishop. 

Splinter could see his young students were getting no hits in at all. They were in a losing fight and needed back up right now. 

“Michelangelo, I will help Casey and Raphael. You go free Donatello.” Splinter said and jumped into the fight. 

“Will do, Sensei.” Mikey said and ran to the table to free Donny. 

“Mikey! I’m so glad to see you!” Don said so happily. 

“Me too, Donny. Did he do anything to you?” Mikey asked. 

“Some small cuts on my arms, but I’ll be fine.” Don replied. 

“Here, got you something.” Mikey said and handed Don his Bo as he was now set free from the last of the straps. 

“Thanks, Mikey. Now let’s help the others.” Don said. 

“You got it, Bro.” Mikey said and the two youngest turtles now joined the fight. 

“You will not stop me from getting what I want!” Bishop growled. 

“Bishop!” Splinter yelled before he hit the human right in the face, and kicked him back against a wall. “Stay away from my sons!” 

Looking up, Bishop now saw that Donatello was free and he and Mikey had now joined the fight. 

“You won’t have any more part of me, Bishop!” Don said. 

“I will eventually get what I want, Donatello.” Bishop said. 

“Not from me, you won’t.” Don said. 

“This isn’t over!” Bishop said and ran through the doors. 

Raph tried to follow, but Splinter held him back. “Let him go for now, Raphael. We will get that monster another time. Right now, we must get Donatello home.” 

“Are you alright, Donatello?” Splinter asked. 

“I’m fine, Master Splinter. A few cuts, but I’ll live.” Don said. 

“That’s good, my son. I don’t know how much longer before the twins would have started crying for you.” Splinter said. 

“I would have missed them too. And now I want to see them more than ever.” Don said.

“Let’s go home.” Mikey said. 

“Not before I destroy Bishop’s base.” Don said. “I need all the information that he collected on me and you guys.” 

The family went through the lab’s rooms and looked for stuff that looked related to Don. 

“Why do you want this stuff?” Raph asked. 

“Just in case he has something on us that can be useful, and also if there could be something useful to help Leo, should the need arise.” Don said. “Find everything you can.” 

They did find Don’s past scans for one, when the twins were inside him. Nothing about this time. And there were a few other past intervals of info too. They collected it in the duffel bag, and Don set about now destroying the base. 

They planted bombs along the way out. Set to go off in 10 minutes. 

They made it out just in the nick of time before a huge explosion came up from the underground and consumed the warehouse. They made it to the Battle Shell and climbed in and drove away.


	31. Chapter 31

Donny was more than relieved to be out of that horrid, evil place. But in a way, he was glad it was him, and not Leo. Then Bishop would have had all kinds of ‘fun’ with Leo. But after the threat of never being allowed to return home again, Don was more than anxious to get home and reunite with Akemi and Virgil. 

“You ok, Don?” Raph asked his purple clad brother.

“Yes, I’m ok.” Don said. He was feeling a little shaky just from being shaken up from the incident, but wasn’t going to confess that fear. 

“What did he try to do to you?” Raph asked. 

Mikey would have loved to ask questions, but he was driving the truck. 

“He wanted to try to find out how I got pregnant, since I was carrying the twins the last time he had me.” Don said. “And he saw the scar on my stomach. He wanted to try to get me pregnant again because I wouldn’t tell him about the twins.” 

“It doesn’t matter now, my son. We will get you home and you can reunite with your babies. And we must get those wounds treated too.” Splinter said. 

Leo then called back. “Did you get him out of there ok?”

“Yes, Leonardo. We got Donatello out just fine. He just has some cuts on his arms that we need to treat and he will be fine.” Splinter answered his pregnant son. 

Leo breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Just take deep breaths, Leo. Try to stay calm. Stress is not good for the baby.” April said calmly. “How’s Donny?” 

“He’s going to be fine, April.” Leo gave a small smile. 

“That’s good.” She said. 

The two of them anxiously awaited their family’s return. 

……..

Everyone was more than glad to be back home. 

Leo couldn’t help himself as he ran to Don and gave him a big hug. He had tears in his eyes. He was just glad to have Donny back, not just because of how much he loved his little brother, but also because Don was Leo’s best hope of getting through his pregnancy. 

“I’m glad to see you too, Leo.” Don said, hugging back. 

“I’m sorry, Donny, but I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.” Leo said. 

“None of us could.” April said. She also came up and hugged him after Leo let go. 

“I would miss you all too.” Don said. 

“It would be best if we get those injuries treated, Donatello.” Splinter said. 

“Yes, Master Splinter.” Don said. 

Don and April and Leo went to the lab where April cleaned up the dried blood and put some medicine on the cuts, then applied some bandages to protect them from infection. 

“You did a good job, April. Can I now go check on Akemi and Virgil?” Don said. 

“Sure.” Leo said. 

Don went up to his room nearly as fast as his feet could carry him there. He instantly picked up both of his babies very carefully and only wanted to be with them at the moment. 

The family now just needed some time to calm down after this shaken event. 

………

The next day, Leo came up with a decision that he was not to go junkyard hunting by himself anymore. 

“Well, Leo, sometimes it’s hard to find someone who’s willing to help me get the stuff I need. I’m sorry about the incident, and I tried to get someone to come, but they were all busy.” Don said. He was feeding Akemi her breakfast right now. 

The twins were on solid foods now, but were still given a bit of formula. 

“If no one will come with you, then you should find something else to do around here.” Leo said. “I’m just worried about you, aside from the others. Losing you would scare me to shell. You’ve been the number one person getting me through my pregnancy.” Leo almost sounded like he was on the verge of tears. 

“I know, since I have gone through it before.” Don said. “But I’m here now and I promise to be more careful. I’m going to design something that will have better vision around me, and I’ll even make some for you all when we’re out and about. With the kids we’re going to be taking care of, none of us can afford to be killed. They need us all.” 

“That’s a great idea, Donny.” Mikey said. 

“Yes, it is, but you Mikey, use it responsibly. Not as a toy.” Don warned. 

“I will, Donny.” Mikey held his right hand in a scout’s honor kind of way.

………..

Leo was now at 25 weeks. He still wasn’t that big, but he felt big. 

The unborn child was 13.5 inches in length and weighed 1 and half pounds.

When Leo relaxed now, it was wiser for him to start having his ankles supported. They were beginning to swell at times. 

But Leo was still not giving up his exercises. He still wore his sword harness, but by now, having to loosen his belt had become more than a pain. He finally decided it was time to lose the belt around his waist. 

The movements from Junior had become more profound and felt more easily, especially at bedtime. Just as Leo had done for Don when he was expecting, Don began to do some massage on Leo’s body to get him to relax some more. And just like Mikey wanting to touch his belly, he was also doing some rubbing massage over Leo’s belly as well. Though it had to be much more gentle there. 

The baby did seem to melt into Don’s gentle strokes over Leo’s belly. Leo didn’t complain. He could feel his child just wanted the attention. 

Don was also happy to be able to feel Leo’s baby move. At least he knew what his bro was going through. 

One night while Donny was giving Leo a massage, he spoke up, “Leo, we have to think about dragging out the pool and filling it up with water.” 

“What pool?” Leo asked sleepily. 

“You know, the one I used when I was pregnant, to keep the practice contractions at bay?” Don stated. 

Leo snapped more awake at that. “Contractions?” 

“It’s ok, Leo. You’re not having them now. But it’s just to get it ready for you for when they do start to happen. You might start having some practice or Braxton Hick’s contractions before too long.” Don said.

“I’m not ready for the contractions to start. It’s still too soon.” Leo suddenly got worried. 

“Well, you are getting up there and closer and closer each week to delivery, Leo, so your body will let you know about it. If you start to feel pain in your lower regions anytime soon, it’s just your body feeling like it’s getting ready to, if it could, push the baby out. It doesn’t mean labor or anything.” Don explained. 

“Did you feel it happening?” Leo asked.

“Of course I did. Though of course, I had a c-section birth.” 

Leo still dreaded the surgery. 

“Have you thought of any names yet?” Don asked.

“Huh? Uh, no. I’ve just been real busy worrying about you and the others and exercising that I just can’t seem to find the time to look up a name.” Leo said. 

“You know you have to come up with two names, just one for each sex until we find out after its born.” 

“I know. And the name is the first big decision that will affect them for the rest of their life, and I know I want to make a good one.” Leo said. 

“Yes, it is a big decision. I’m sure you’ll find a good one. You still have some time to find one.” Don said, and went back to massaging Leo’s body again, trying to get him to relax for the time being.


	32. Chapter 32

Karai was really wanting to make Leonardo suffer, and she was wanting him back real bad so she could take the chance away from him to become a parent. And she knew that if the baby had not come by now, that the turtle was going to be bigger in the stomach. 

The Foot ninjas had occasionally spotted three of the turtles on patrol, but none of them was the turtle she was wanting. But then she thought of a better plan that might draw Leonardo out of the sewers. Taking the turtle’s brothers, or at the least, one of them. 

But another thing came to mind, she might need some extra help. She thought about someone that might be able to help her draw the turtles out of hiding. Someone else who had also worked for her father. She knew they wanted to get even with the turtles just as much as she did. 

Hun. Leader of the Purple Dragons. 

Karai hadn’t associated with him for awhile, but knew where to find him. 

………..

Leo was having another exam on the baby; this time, with just Don’s ultrasound. 

The baby looked like a fully formed mini turtle right now. The sex still couldn’t be told. Leo was happy to have a new sonogram to show off of Junior. 

Leo’s exercises that he did included Yoga, Pilates, low-impact aerobics, and walking mostly. Swimming wasn’t a luxury right now, as the water outside right now was frozen over, but he did enjoy some soaking in the tub. But when the good weather returned, as he had read about it, Leo really wanted to start swimming more. 

Since the talk with Leo a few nights ago, Don had now dragged out the pool that he had used in his lab when he was pregnant, and had now filled it with warm water. He kept a heater in the water to keep it warm. It was more for use when Leo might ever start feeling the BH contractions. But Leo did have other plans at times. He liked to crawl into it now. 

Don didn’t have a problem with that. If it could be used, Leo could use it whenever he wanted. 

Leo had begun to use it for some exercises he was inventing, and for some meditation ways to relax. In a way, it was like a way he was learning some breathing techniques. The baby was beginning to put more pressure on his organs as it was growing and his breathing was a little more heavier now. 

April came down to the lair more often now, as she knew it was becoming more important for Leo to have some ‘girl time.’ She also wanted to try to have Leo come to her place so some Lamaze classes could be started with him to better understand what was happening to him. Donny was also more than happy to come too. Raph and Mikey would watch the twins while they would be at April’s. 

At April’s, Don and Leo discussed with her that more than likely, just like Don, Leo was going to have a c-section birth too, but before that could happen, Leo would have to find ways to relax himself. 

Leo told them that he had had Leatherhead take a look at his scans some weeks ago to see if a natural birth was possible, but it had shown that it wasn’t. 

Don was more than ticked off at that. It was amazing that the space lizards were able to get him and his brother pregnant, and if the womb ruptured, there would be that exit point, but how would the baby otherwise pass from the father, the carrier? 

According to the scans, there was no way but through a c-section. 

Leo was slowly coming to terms with the fact. He would face it just like he did any other challenge in his life. But this would be the hardest challenge that was the only thing that separated him from getting his baby into the world. And he would do what Don did. Take care of his baby, and recover. And it meant restrictions for a few months. And no exercising would be one of them during recovery. So Leo would have to enjoy this time of exercising, though they were just much lighter exercises. 

Much of Leo’s ninja training was now out the window, but he was still able to perform some katana moves with his arms. He would still need them in case if something else happened, though he was hoping nothing else would happen to him from the outside world while he was carrying. 

This year also marked another year of a Battle Nexus Tournament. It would happen in the middle of spring, but there was no way Leo would be permitted to go. Sure, April and Casey could watch Akemi and Virgil, but Leo did not want his friends to see him this way. The Daimyo, his son, and Usagi could find out about his baby later on, after the birth. Like when they came at Christmas. 

It was now the ending of March. The weather was beginning to finally warm up again after a long, cold winter. 

The turtles were really looking forward to getting out of the lair more. But Leo just couldn’t help himself that he felt more sad about it, as he couldn’t join them on patrols anymore. He was now entering his 7th month. 

Master Splinter began having Don, Mikey, and Raph start practicing for the Battle Nexus, while Leo could only just watch them and give pointers. The tournament was at the beginning of May, and they would be training for it for a month. Splinter wanted his sons to be ready, especially Donatello. 

Splinter himself would not be fighting in anymore of the competitions. He was feeling too old for it now. He was just happy that he had some future champions that he had trained really well. But he did feel bad for his best fighter that he wouldn’t be able to come. 

One day, while the other three were training, Leo came over to his sensei and sat down. 

“I really wish I could at least come, Sensei. But I can’t.” Leo said. 

“I know you do, Leonardo, but you are going to be in no shape to be there. Especially if something were to happen, you would get hurt.” Splinter said. 

“I’m not helpless. I can still take care of myself. I’m sure nothing will happen.” 

“Leonardo, I know how much this means to you, but for you and your baby’s safety, it is best you stay here and look after your niece and nephew. If you were a few months earlier than now, I might consider letting you come, but not by the time the tournament is upon us. Your stomach will be a target for enemies there.” Splinter explained. 

Mikey had overheard them. “What if Leo wore clothes, Sensei?” He called out from his sparring with Raph. 

Both Leo and Splinter turned to look at him. Even Don and Raph had now stopped what they were doing. 

“What are you getting at, Mikey?” Raph asked. 

“Well, we are training for the Battle Nexus, and we all know how Leo would love to come to support us. Well, what if he could come in some clothes? He could hide his stomach that way.” Mikey said. 

Leo raised an eye ridge. Mike’s idea did have a ring of truth, but he would have to wear heavy or baggy clothing, and he didn’t like wearing clothes unless it was really necessary. The Nexus was one place where he could walk around normally and not have to wear a disguise, and he liked it that way. 

“I don’t even think it will be possible to hide his stomach by then, Mikey.” Don said. “He’s going to be 8 months along by then, verging on 9. If he goes, he also could end up going into labor prematurely. Sometimes big excitement can make it happen.” 

“Thanks Don. That makes me feel a whole lot better about getting the baby sooner.” Leo said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry Leo, but big exciting things make pregnant women go into labor early a lot too. I know you’re not a woman, but you are pregnant, and I just don’t want to take the chance that your baby could come too early. I know how badly you want to come, but like Master Splinter said, it would be best if you stayed here and watched the kids. We can have April and Casey come down and help you while we’re gone.” 

As much as Leo didn’t want to admit that Don was right, he knew he was right. It just wasn’t worth the risk. There would always be other tournaments, and he could see his friends another time. 

“And we promise not to tell ya friends that you’re pregnant.” Raph said. “Know how much it would make ya feel uncomfortable.” Raph said. 

“Yeah. We’ll come up with a good reason that you couldn’t come.” Don said. “Though I’m sure the Daimyo would understand if you had to stay home and babysit since he met the twins this last Christmas.” 

“Yes, but he has also met April and Casey, and I think the Daimyo would be expecting my son to come with us, and think they would babysit the twins. We will be needing a much more better reason for Leonardo not coming.” 

“What if we said he was injured or sick?” Mikey stated. 

Leo didn’t like those reasons, but what other choice was there? 

“I don’t like either of those excuses.” Leo said.

“But what other choices are there, Leo, without revealing the true reason?” Don said. 

“I know I hated being sick earlier in this pregnancy. And otherwise, I don’t get sick often.” Leo said. 

“So what then? You want the injured excuse?” Raph asked. 

“I will be having an injury soon to care for anyway having this baby. So, yeah, the injury excuse is the best one.” Leo reluctantly agreed on. 

An injury would be the reason Leo couldn’t come, even though he hated that reason too. But he would stay home and babysit for his and his baby’s safety.


	33. Chapter 33

The month of April got warmer and warmer. The training got harder and harder for Leo’s brothers. Don was doing his best that he wouldn’t get knocked out within the first fight this time. 

Leo himself did try to push Don harder than Raph or Mikey. Don was the closest one to Leo right now, and as he had gone through a pregnancy too, Donny was the closest one that could fill Leo’s place at the tournament. But Raph and Mikey were also trying their hearts out too. All three would fight their hardest and try to win first place. 

Leo, Don, and Raph hoped at least someone else could beat Mikey though. Mikey was still a pain in the shell about being the Battle Nexus champion. 

The three younger turtles were also more wary on patrol too, now that they were going out more and more. It was always all 3 going out, or two, and sometimes it would be four, when Casey joined them. 

April got worried about Casey out there fighting, but right now, with Leo pregnant, more of Casey’s help was needed on the streets. 

Leo began to feel some weird feelings down in his lower stomach. He wasn’t sure what they were, but they weren’t associated with the baby. And Leo was feeling the baby move more and more. 

He also began to start having more back problems and pelvic pain. It just felt all too weird for him. Don said he had experienced it too back in the day. 

“Your body is just knowing that you are pregnant and it’s naturally trying to get ready for the birth.” Don said. 

Leo was still using the pool in the lab when he did feel a lot of pain down in his lower body. He wanted to go swimming real bad. It would work his legs more so than what it was right now. The water would take the weight off his legs. 

As much as it was real risky going swimming anywhere in the city, Don did want to grant Leo some happiness to get out of the lair other than just April’s. 

Going swimming in the park was nearly a good idea, but the Foot or even Bishop could try to find them there. And most of the waters surrounding the city were polluted. The next best place would be closer to the farmhouse. 

Finally, one night, after they had told Splinter where they were going, the turtles drove out of the city for a few days up to the farmhouse, and went to seek out that favorite pond. They even brought Akemi and Virgil with them. It would be nice to have the twins experience some light and air out of the lair too. 

During the day, the turtles all went out to the pond, bringing baby supplies with them. And leaving the supply bag on the shore, all four adult turtles went into the pond, and two of them each carried Akemi and Virgil. 

The boys stayed in the shallow water when they had one of the babies in their arms. They played floating games with them, and warily tried to see if they had swimming instincts. Swimming naturally came to baby turtles and some lizards. 

Akemi and Virgil showed that they could swim, even at this early age. But the adults never let them get their heads too far beneath the water’s surface. 

When Leo wasn’t holding a baby was when he would go swimming out in the deeper ends of the pond. All the turtles took turns with it, but Leo was needing to do it the most, as it was a new better way for exercise for him. It took the weight off his back and legs. 

This was a great retreat. And after swimming, they would all have lunch on the shore. 

Back home, Master Splinter was enjoying some well deserved down time. He was more than glad to grant his sons some time up at the farmhouse and taking his grandchildren with them. He babysat a lot, so he had needed this break. 

The turtles stayed up at the house for a week. There had been mostly sunny days, and Leo had wanted to take advantage of them as much as he could. The rainy days they just stayed inside. Don didn’t want his kids out in that rain. 

The boys did also practice while they were up there too. Leo made sure they did. 

Leo was up to 28 weeks along by the time they got back. Now nearly the end of April. He had at least up to 12 more weeks to go. 

The pregnant turtle was happy that he had come so far, but he wished it was over already. He wanted his old habits back. He just wanted the baby out of him. 

The weight of the baby had increased to 2.2 pounds weight and was 14.8 inches in length from head to heel. The feet were just over 2 inches long.

Leo read that he should talk to and read to the baby, as the baby would be able to recognize his voice. Reading he could do, but he wasn’t sure he could sing to it. It just made him feel apprehensive. But he could always talk to his brothers, father, and friends, and the baby could still hear him that way too. 

The baby was also capable of REM or deep sleep, and opening and closing its eyes too. 

After getting back, Splinter began taking over training for the tournament again, and as it was getting closer, it was going to be next week, he was pushing Donny, Raph, and Mikey more than ever that they had to be ready. 

……….

The big day to depart from the lair finally came. Everyone but Leo was excited. 

Splinter gave Leo one last hug. “Take care, my son.” 

“Thanks.” Leo said. 

“We’ll try our best to win the medal for you.” Don said. 

“I know you will.” 

Then the family departed, leaving Leo at home alone with Don’s twins as his only company right now. It was early evening right now. 

Right now, Leo felt so alone. April and Casey would be down soon though. 

The twins were over in a playpen in the living room. They hadn’t even seen their dad, grandfather, and two uncles leave. Leo walked over to join them. 

“Well, guys. It’s just you and me until April and Casey get here. I wish I could have gone with them to see the Battle Nexus tournament, but I’m in no condition to go anywhere.” Leo said to the babies. 

They were both able to sit up and crawl now. So they now had to be supervised if they were going to be out of their beds or playpens. It was virtually time to upgrade their cradles to cribs. And then one of the cradles would be used for Leo’s baby when it was born. 

Virgil and Akemi just gave their Uncle Leo little looks that said they were having some fun, for what fun they could have. They smiled and laughed at him. 

Leo smiled back. “I’m glad you guys are having fun. Your little cousin inside me is making me miserable.” He rubbed on his belly. 

At times, aside from shortness of breath, Leo could feel it pressing more on his organs, and he had to worry about constipation at times. Sometimes he worried about eating. But he wasn’t going to stop that. He would just eat small meals to try to avoid gas and constipation. 

April and Casey soon arrived. They brought some special treats and movies. It was the least they could do to try to help Leo feel better for missing the tournament. The movies were all action based, since they knew he liked action. And they were kid friendly too. 

Akemi and Virgil could stay up for now, but in a couple of hours, Leo would put them to bed. 

A little bit later, the twins were ready for bed. April helped to put them to bed. But they were so used to having Don and Leo put them to bed, it was a struggle for April. Leo got them settled down and asleep before too long though. 

Then he and April went back downstairs after closing Don’s bedroom door. They watched some more action movies that were more for adults. 

It was a weekend, so Leo’s friends stayed until real late. They finished the last movie, then they left to go home. Leo was sure he could handle the twins until Don and the others got home. Then he went to bed. He had no idea when they would be back. Probably tomorrow sometime.


	34. Chapter 34

Leo was still an early riser. But these days, he slept in a bit more as the baby often kept him up at night. He was now going to have to make himself sleep more during the day too. He needed all the rest he could get, but at the moment, Leo was still home alone babysitting. 

Leo got up early this morning because the baby had once again been kicking and stretching all night. He was still very tired, but he wanted to see if the others were home yet. He went to Don’s room first to see if his brother was in there. 

Nope. But the babies were beginning to stir, that it was their breakfast time. 

He got each one by themselves and carried them down to the kitchen and put them in high chairs. 

They watched him as he opened up two jars of baby food. Peaches for Virgil, and bananas for Akemi. As he was feeding them, something about the smell of the baby food was somewhat appealing to Leo. But he knew better. He would feed himself only after the twins were fed. 

After they were done eating, Leo took them to their playpen, then he got himself some cereal, and went back into the living room. He watched them as he ate. But Leo wondered why he would have been craving baby food. His baby would be fed it when it got old enough. 

Don had said that it was easier to give into cravings. 

When he was done with the cereal, for some reason, Leo just didn’t feel satisfied. He still had a new craving for the baby food. The smell of the bananas had been particularly attractive to him. 

“You guys stay here. I’ll just be in the other room.” Leo said. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

He went back to the kitchen to wash his dishes out, but then he went for the baby food cabinet. He looked in it for some more bananas. He found one. 

Leo couldn’t help himself. He took the lid off, and using a new spoon, he began eating the baby food. 

……….

A spinning spire appeared in the middle of the lair. Leo’s family was now back. 

They had no idea what time it was, as it had been a different time in the Nexus. 

“It feels so great to be home.” Don said. 

“Me too.” Mikey said. “I wonder how long we’ve been gone.” 

“Long enough for me to have won this trophy!” Raph said and laughed at his baby brother. This time, Raphael was the winning turtle. 

He had kept his temper in check more this time around, but had still won against some hard adversaries. Just lucky for him, he hadn’t been teamed up with Mikey this time. Mikey could have easily made him lose again, but he had been teamed against Don instead. 

Raph had had Leo to help thank him for helping him to keep his cool. Leo didn’t have too much better to do with his time these days anyway since he couldn’t train or patrol. And Raph was supportive of him, and Leo had wanted to help him out so he could have a better chance at winning too. 

Donny had tried his hardest, but he still lost to Raph.

Mikey felt bad that he wouldn’t be the center of that attention this time. But the whole family was glad he had lost. No more spilling his big win in their faces. 

Raph sometimes acted like a big kid too, but he knew how to approach his accomplishments with more humility. He was holding the trophy. 

Master Splinter was proud of all his sons. They had all done their best. But he was also a bit more happy that Raph had won too. 

Don now checked the living room in case the twins were in there. He saw that they were. It must have been daylight on the surface. 

“The twins are up, but where’s Leo?” Don asked. 

“Leo, you here?” Mikey called. 

Leo jumped when he heard Mikey’s voice. 

“Kitchen.” He called back. Then he also felt a jump from inside him. 

Leo looked down and realized he must have startled Junior. 

Raph now appeared in the kitchen entrance, wanting to show his big brother the new trophy, but when he saw what he had in his hand, he stopped short with wide eyes. 

“Leo!” 

Leo jumped again. 

“What on Earth are you doin’?” Raph asked. 

Leo just stared at his brother, who he saw had a new trophy in his hands. Raph now came into the kitchen and put it down on the table. 

“What? This? Nothing.” Leo said sheepishly, and hid the jar behind his back. 

“I saw what you were doin.’ You were eatin’ baby food!” Raph said. 

Don, Mikey, and Splinter now came into the kitchen when they heard Raph’s yell. 

“What’s going on?” Donny asked. 

“I get in here to show him the trophy, and I see Leo eatin’ some of the babies’ food!” Raph said. 

“What?” Mikey asked. “Leo’s eating baby food now?” 

“I am not!” Leo said. 

“Then what’s that behind your back?” Don asked. 

Leo gulped and brought out the jar of bananas. The others couldn’t believe what they were seeing. And Leo had some evidence on his mouth too. 

“Why would you be eating baby food, my son?” Splinter asked. 

“Uh, I was feeding the twins their breakfast a bit ago, and the smell of it was overbearing for me. I had to have some. I was craving it.” Leo said with a shy grin. 

“Another new craving? I think that one’s a little over the top.” Raph said. 

“Well, at least it’s food.” Donny said. 

“Our big brother’s eating baby food!” Mikey started laughing so hard. 

“Shut it, Shell for Brains.” Raph said, hitting Mikey over the head, but he still couldn’t stop giggling. 

“Well, tastes change a lot when you’re pregnant. Though I never craved that. But it’s almost like Leo’s baby wants to be fed what its older cousins are eating.” Don said, smiling. “If you want bananas, we can have April get you some.” 

“Sure. That’d be great.” Leo said, now putting the jar down onto the table. “And we won the trophy again?” 

“Raph won the trophy.” Don said. 

“That’s great.” Leo said proudly. 

“So how long were we gone?” Mikey asked. 

“Overnight here.” Leo said. “Akemi and Virgil were fine. I had to put both to bed, as they weren’t used to April doing that.” 

“They are getting to be better kids all the time, Donny.” Raph said. 

“Thanks.” Don said. 

“Now can we go show the kids the trophy?” Mikey asked. 

“Sure, though they won’t really know what’s going on.” Don said. 

Leo then asked on the way over to the playpen, “So, did Usagi ask about me?” 

“Of course he did, Bro.” Raph replied. 

“We told him the same thing that we told the Daimyo and his son.” Don said. “You wanted to come, but were stuck at home with an injury.” 

“I really hate that they had to be lied to.” Leo said. 

“Well, unless you wanted to be seen that way, we had to.” Mikey said, referring to his pregnancy. 

“I know. We had agreed on it, but I still hate it.” Leo said.


	35. Chapter 35

Karai and Hun had teamed up again to rid the city of the turtles when he had heard that the lead turtle had somehow been expecting a baby. 

“We don’t need anymore of those freaks!” He said angrily. 

The Foot clan and the Purple Dragons were teaming up now that they knew there could be more of their turtle enemies in the future if the problem was not done away with. The pregnant turtle must be found. 

And there was a final person who Karai had thought to get involved, though he had been an enemy to her father and had kidnapped her at one point, but then, he could be useful for taking the turtle’s baby from him for experimenting. Karai just wanted Leonardo, and not his baby. 

Hun enlisted his two flunkies, Touch and Go, as well. They had met Leonardo too. 

Most of the city’s bad guys were now teaming up to hunt down the turtles, but most of all, Leo and his baby. And as far along as he was now, he didn’t need anymore stress. 

The humans would flush him out somehow though. 

……….

Karai eventually found Bishop’s base and went to talk to him about business. 

“I must speak to Mr. Bishop about some important business that we could work together in.” Karai said. 

“What sort of business, Ms. Saki?” The secretary asked. 

“The ninja turtles of the city.” Karai said. 

“Bishop has been after one of them for awhile and wants him back.” 

“Yes, well, I want one of them too, but the one I want has something else to offer Agent Bishop too. A new baby.” Karai said. “He can have it for his research.” 

The secretary was now certain a bargain could be made. “Contact Agent Bishop. I have a young woman here who has something to offer us to further our research.” 

“Right away.” Another secretary said on the line.

………..

Agent Bishop was in the base trying to do his research on just focusing on protecting the Earth from aliens when a call came into his office. 

“What is it?” Bishop asked. 

“Sir, I have a Ms. Karai Saki up here at the front desk who wants to do some business here with you. It has to do with the turtles.” The man said. 

Bishop was more than a little surprised that his nemesis had sought him out just to deal with the turtles. He wondered what it could be that she could offer to do business with him. 

“I’ll be right up. Lead her to my negotiation office.” Bishop ordered. 

“Yes, Sir.” 

Bishop began to head out. 

……….

Karai was led to the office, where she waited for Bishop. It didn’t take him too long to join her. 

“Hello, Ms. Saki. What brings you to my secret base? What is it that you could possibly have to offer me?” Bishop asked. 

“I am wanting some allies to help me hunt the turtles, but for me, I want Leonardo in particular. And it is he who has something that would benefit your research.” Karai said. 

“I myself am wanting Donatello back. What is it that his brother could offer me?” The man asked. 

“A new baby. You get his baby, and I get Leonardo.” Karai said. 

“A baby? Donatello can already offer me that.” Bishop said. 

“I am saying that Leonardo is currently carrying a baby. You can have his baby.” 

Bishop’s eyes widened. “So, you’re saying that a brother of Donatello is pregnant too?” 

“Yes.” 

“Somehow the turtles are reproducing and getting pregnant, and they are all male turtles. I could do some tests on both of them.” Bishop said. 

“Yes, and I have not seen Leonardo out for some time. I am thinking he is still pregnant. And one of his brothers being captured would surely lead him out of hiding.” Karai said. 

“I think we can do business together, my dear. I want to do tests on both of the turtles to see what is determining these pregnancies of theirs, and in the end, you can have Leonardo as your prize, but like you said, I want his baby.” Bishop said. “The DNA in the baby would surely tell me how they are getting pregnant.” 

Karai had never known that Donatello had been pregnant, but there had been that Raven woman who had wanted him, and she had never said why. The pregnancy Bishop spoke of must be it. 

“How long ago was Donatello pregnant?” Karai asked. 

“A little over a year ago.” Bishop said. 

Karai remembered that time. The time when the Raven woman had been here looking for the smart turtle. 

“My clan will start looking for any of the turtles immediately.” Karai said. “I want Leonardo as soon as possible.” 

“And I want Donatello as soon as possible, along with the baby turtle you are promising me.” Bishop said. 

Most of the turtles’ enemies were now teamed up to track them down and capture them.


	36. Chapter 36

Leo had the constant job of babysitting Donny’s twins every day. Splinter was usually helping him out, and sometimes Don or one of the other two would stay and help out. 

As much as Leo loved Akemi and Virgil, he was really longing for a break, just to get out of the lair. But being so far along in his pregnancy, this posed a big problem for him. 

At week twenty nine, the baby measured about 11 inches from crown to rump, or a total length of about 15 inches from head to heel, and weighed about 2.5 pounds. 

Nearly ten more weeks left to go, and Leo was just longing for it to be done and over with. He wanted his body back to normal. He was tired of restrictions, but at least he wasn’t confined to bed rest. But Don did advise him to try to relax as much as possible. 

The movements of Junior had become much more forceful, and could often take Leo’s breath away, just like as if he had been kicked in the gut by an enemy. But space inside the womb in his belly had become cramped. 

Leo continued to talk to the baby, had started reading to it, and playing music to it. And even his family was doing their fair share of talking to it too. 

As the baby was getting bigger, the family could see that Leo was just getting more and more miserable. It mostly stemmed from having little to no sleep at night when the baby was inside him having a ’party.’ And Donny knew exactly what he was going through. Don, in his mind, thought that Leo had it a little easier than he had, considering Don had carried twins. 

The family did want to cheer Leo up. Maybe getting him out of the lair would help. Don suggested having a baby shower for Leo. It would be a perfect party day, and they had at least 10 weeks to do it before Junior arrived. 

They began planning immediately. They already knew that one of the baby cradles would be used while the baby was still small, as the twins were now sleeping in cribs. 

And also because during all this time of being pregnant, Leo still hadn’t come up with any names and the family was thinking of helping out.   
……….

Bishop and Karai had sent members of their teams out to look for the turtles. The plan was to get all of Leo’s brothers, so that way, if Leonardo were to try to hide his pregnancy from them by sending his brothers in his place, it wouldn’t work and he would have to come himself if he wanted to save them. But either way, the villains were wanting their turtles. 

Bishop wanted their bodies in perfect shape so he could run the tests on them to determine how they were getting pregnant. Raph and Mike's bodies would be looked at too for comparisons. 

Karai had been a bit irritated that Bishop wasn’t going to just take the baby out of Leonardo right away and let her have him, but Bishop was clear he wanted the baby perfectly developed. And so Leonardo would be keeping the baby inside of him until he went into labor. 

The humans were on alert all the time, but at night they were more vigilant looking for any of the turtles. 

Karai knew a good place to start was definitely watching April’s place. 

Tonight, Raph and Mikey were spotted patrolling by the Foot clan down in midtown. It was an instant order to attack them and bring them in. 

Donny had stayed home to try to comfort Leo, who was very tired of staying at home. 

The Foot swarmed around the two turtles, who immediately took out nunchuks and sais. Some commandos were also laying in wait with tranquilizers to make transport easier. But first, they were to let the Foot soldiers tire Raph and Mikey out a bit. 

Practically the whole Foot clan was there, and managed to separate Mike and Raph. 

Raph loved the challenge of fighting these losers, and Mikey needed to lose some of his pent up energy, but even they knew when too much was enough. 

It wasn’t too much longer before the two brother turtles were breathing hard and trying to regroup so they could get away from their enemies. That’s when the commandos stepped in and fired some darts into them, taking them down quickly. 

Raph and Mikey fought the effects, but it was no use; they went under. Then they were taken down to a transport truck to be brought back to headquarters. They were transported to Bishop’s base as opposed to the Foot’s, as the turtles always knew where Karai’s business was. Bishop was often harder to locate. It was still in New York, but on the outskirts of it. 

The shell cells were taken off of Raph and Mikey, and taken to Foot headquarters. There, they would come up with a plan to get Don out into the open by calling him. Karai knew that impersonating April’s voice would be a good way to draw him over there, and then, Leo would have to notice sooner or later that his brothers weren’t coming home.   
.............

Raph and Mikey were both put into separate cells when they arrived at Bishop’s base. Some restraints were put on them both so they wouldn’t attack anyone who came into their rooms if needed. Bishop wanted as minimal contact with them as possible, though he would feed them intermittently while waiting for Leonardo to be brought to him. 

Karai had designed a new voice disguiser to sound like April. She would call Don’s phone. She now had one of the phones in her hand and she looked up the numbers. She didn’t want to get the wrong person on the line. She found Don’s number and dialed it. 

Don was up in the garage, trying to add some finishing touches on some upgrades for the Battle Shell when his phone began ringing. He hoped there wasn’t trouble. He went to pick it up. 

When the phone opened, the ID on it said it was coming from Raph. 

"Hi Raph." Don said. "What’s going on?" 

Karai was pleased that he had picked up, but she didn’t have a voice disguiser for the hotheaded brother, yet. 

"Hello, uh, Donatello." She said. 

"April?" Don said. 

"Yes. It’s me, April. Raphael has let me use his phone as mine has broken. He and Michelangelo stopped over here for some fun. But I must ask you if you could come over to fix my toilet. It broke." Karai fake talked to him. 

Don felt something was sketchy here. April called them by their whole names very rarely. But he knew she needed a working toilet. 

"What’s wrong with it exactly?" He was trying to determine. 

"It won’t flush. Something in the pipe is clogged up." She said. "And it’s leaking." 

"Uh, ok. I’ll be over shortly. Just let me grab some supplies first." Don said. 

"Thank you. I expect you over shortly, Donatello." The fake April said and hung up. 

Karai smiled. He had actually fallen for her trap!

……….

Don went about grabbing the supplies into a duffel bag, and then took the elevator down to the lair to inform Leo that he was going to April’s. 

Leo was watching a program with Master Splinter right now out of sheer boredom. 

Don came over in front of them. "April just called me to come over and fix her toilet. It has a clogged and leaking pipe. I am just letting you know where I am going." 

Leo looked up at his brother. "You want me to come with?" 

"No. Not this time, Leo. You had better stay here. You’ll be bored while I’m just there to fix the toilet." Don said. 

"Thanks for letting us know, Donatello." Splinter said. 

Don then went back to the garage, got in the truck and drove out. 

Leo had watched his brother go. He just wanted out of the lair. Now he was stuck here by himself again, though with Splinter, babysitting. That’s how it seemed most of the time. 

……….

Some Foot soldiers stealthily broke into April’s building and attacked her as she answered a knock at her door. "Hey! What’s the meaning of this?!" She asked as she fought the turtles’ enemies. 

None answered her and she was easily bundled into her bedroom, tied up and gagged. 

Now, all they had to do was wait for Donatello to arrive. 

……….

It didn’t take Don long to get there. He parked in the back of the store and went up the fire escape. It was a better way of going in than waiting on the ground floor to be let in. 

Don knocked on April’s window to let her know he was there. There was no answer. "April. It’s Don. I’m here." He said. 

Still no answer. 

That was weird. Don now opened her window. Could she have been in the basement? But if she knew he was coming, then why wasn’t she up here? 

"April?" He called out. 

No answer. 

"What’s going on here?" Don questioned the air. 

Then a bunch of Foot ninja filed of April’s bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and exit doorway. Don sensed he had been set up. 

"Well, well, well. Look what we’ve got here. A freak." A ninja said. 

Don got into a defensive pose. "And Foot creeps who are going to get a major ninja beat down!" He snarked back at them, taking out his Bo.

"Get him!" 

The ninjas immediately attacked the turtle. 

Don didn’t hesitate to attack them. He hated destroying April’s home again, but he was alone and he didn’t have much choice. They were coming at him constantly. 

"Where’s April?!" He demanded sharply. 

No one answered him, but kept coming at him.

Eventually, Don saw an opening and ran out of the door and down the stairs. He had to get to the Battle Shell. But there were ninjas waiting down there for him too. 

This fight felt like it had the first time the Foot had attacked April’s place, after Leo had been returned to them very injured. 

And then some Purple Dragons came onto the scene too. Don knew he was severely outnumbered, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. 

A commando came in with a tranq gun. He waited patiently for the right moment. 

Soon, Donny was beginning to get tired. The ninjas and Dragons had virtually destroyed the shop and April’s living quarters, again. But Don had had no choice. 

The humans gave Don a mild breather by backing away from him. He was panting hard, but he still had his Bo out in front of him. He watched them warily. 

Then, out of nowhere, Don felt a sharp sting in his left shoulder. He gave a small wince and pulled the needle out. 

"Oh no!" He knew immediately that it had to be a tranquilizer dart. He knew he was in trouble, and he had to get out of here, but it wouldn’t take long to take effect on him. 

Don tried looking for a way out, but there were too many enemies in his way. He began stumbling about trying to get out to the back door, but he was knocked down by a big boned Purple Dragon. 

He was out the second he hit the floor. 

"We have Agent Bishop’s turtle, now we just need to get the last turtle." The lead ninja said. 

Donatello was also taken back to Bishop’s base, after he had been stripped of his duffel bag, Bo and phone. He, like Raph and Mikey, was put into a cell and restrained. 

It shouldn’t be too much longer that Leonardo would notice his brothers weren’t coming home; the perfect way to bring him out of hiding.


	37. Chapter 37

It didn’t take too long for the drugs to wear off of the kidnapped turtles. When they all awoke, they each found themselves alone and in a small room; shackled by their wrists and ankles. 

Raph struggled to get the metal cuffs off, even after they began to cut into his flesh. Both Don and Mikey tested their bonds as well, but not to the point of bruising and cutting their skin. The shackles fit over their limbs perfectly, but were loose fitting enough to not cause blood flow restriction, except for when the turtles began pulling on them too hard. 

Donny had to think of a way to get out of here. He found all his stuff was gone. But he checked the tracker under his shell. It was still there. April and Leatherhead would be able to track him down. He just hoped the others would find him before it was too late. 

……….

Leo always liked to wait up for his brothers to come home, but right now, he felt as if something was very wrong. It was well past the time that Raph and Mikey should have come home. Splinter had gone to bed and he believed that Don had crashed at April’s for the night, but where were Raph and Mikey? 

It was past sunrise in the morning now. Could they have crashed at April’s too? Or Casey’s? 

He was tired and knew he needed his rest, but he couldn’t help but be worried for his brothers. He knew they would have called if they were staying somewhere else. He took out his shell cell and dialed each number. 

They all rang until their voicemails picked up. None of them answered. There was definitely something wrong here. Then Leo dialed April’s number, and she too didn’t pick up. 

"Where is everyone?" Leo asked. 

He got up from the couch and went to his father’s room. He gently shook the rat master awake. 

"What is it, Leonardo?" Splinter asked. 

"Something feels wrong, Father. The others haven’t returned yet." Leo said. 

"Could they have gone to April’s too?" 

"I don’t know. I just tried to call all of them, and April, and none of them are picking up. I think I need to go and check it out." Leo said. 

"Have you called Casey?" 

"No, but I will now." 

Leo called Raph’s best friend. He knew it was more of a risk calling him. He hated to have his sleep interrupted in the mornings, but this was an emergency. 

"Hello." A sleepy voice answered. 

Leo smiled. Finally, someone answered. 

"Casey, it’s me, Leo. I need to know if Raph or Mikey are with you?" 

"No. I stayed in last night. Didn’t feel well. Is something wrong?" 

"I don’t know yet, Casey. The guys never came home last night. Have you seen April lately? She didn’t answer either." 

"Two days ago. She was fine. I can stop by her place in awhile." Casey said. 

"No. If you’re not well, Master Splinter and I can do it." Leo said. 

"Ok. Let me know if I can be of help." 

"Thanks." Leo said and hung up. 

Leo now looked at his father. "I have a strange feeling, like something happened to them, Master." 

"Leonardo, it would be best that you remain here while I check out April’s house. You are in no condition to go that far." 

"Master, I am still walking to exercise, I’ll be fine." Leo said. 

"The twins need to be watched, and if there is trouble at April’s, it’s wise to have the babies stay here." Splinter said. 

"Alright." Leo said. 

"Have you been to bed, my son?" 

"No. I’ve just been waiting to make sure they got back ok." 

"While I am gone, I expect you to try to get some rest. You need it, Leonardo. But I will call you if something has happened." Splinter said and he got up. 

Again, Leo hated being left behind. Having young babies to watch was a hassle at times. He wanted to help so badly. 

Leo tried his best to do what his father asked of him, resting on the couch, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. 

His baby seemed to have picked up on his discomfort, and it rolled over within him. Leo placed a hand on his swollen belly. "I really hope your uncles are alright, Little One." He said. It didn’t take too much longer for sleep to overtake him. 

……….

Splinter arrived at April’s and went in through the back door. He had seen the truck parked out back, but the apartment door was open. Something wasn’t right here. He immediately sensed it. 

When he got inside, he immediately saw that the shop was a mess. Broken items were strewn everywhere, and he saw Don’s stuff on the floor. Who could have done this? 

Then he heard a noise from upstairs. He took the spiral stairs up to the second floor. 

He got up there and saw another mess. He heard grunting and groaning and followed the sounds to April’s bedroom. 

April was on the floor struggling to get free. 

"April!" Splinter said and rushed to her aid. He quickly untied her and she un-gagged herself. 

"Do you know what happened to Donatello?" Splinter asked. 

"No, I don’t." 

"Donatello said that you called him last night and he was coming here to fix your toilet."

"I haven’t even seen Donny, Master Splinter. And no. I never called him last night. But Foot soldiers attacked me and knocked me out, and I guess put me in here. My toilet’s fine." April said. 

"The Foot must have set Donatello up then. Your place is a mess, Miss O’Neil. I have the feeling that they have my sons!" 

"Even Leo?" 

"No. Not him. He is at home babysitting the twins." 

"That’s good, but I can promise you, we will find him, and his brothers if they are missing too." She said. 

The redheaded woman was so upset at the mess of her house. She knew she would have to find a new place to live. It would be too expensive to rebuild this place again, but she would be sure to have insurance pay for the damages. 

Then, Don’s phone rang. 

Splinter wondered if it was one of the others or Leonardo calling him. 

"Hello," He said. 

A male voice answered, but not one he wanted to hear. "Hello, Rat. We see you down in the apartment with the woman. I want you to know that we have 3 of your 4 turtles." 

"What have you done with my sons?!" Splinter demanded angrily. "Who are you?"

"The Foot clan. Now listen closely. If you want them back alive, you will send the 4th turtle to meet us down at the docks tonight, and alone. No one else better be with him." The voice demanded. 

"My son is not coming. I will get them back myself." 

"Then you won’t get them back. You won’t find them, Rodent. Send the 4th one, or else!" And he hung up. 

"What did he want?" April asked as Splinter took the phone away from his ear. 

"The Foot has my missing sons. Now they want Leonardo too." Splinter said. 

"He can’t go in his condition." April said. 

"I know, but if we want the others back, my son will have to meet them on the docks alone tonight." 

This was going to be hard to send Leo to get his brothers, especially with the enemy to be able to see his condition. But what other choice did they have? 

……….

April and Splinter went back down to the lair and awoke Leo. He was really sleepy now. 

"Leonardo, we have a problem." Splinter said. "The Foot clan has your brothers." 

"What?!" Leo snapped awake at that. 

The baby inside him jumped and kicked him hard. 

"Oh!" Leo grunted. 

"Are you ok, Leo?" April asked. 

"Yeah. The baby just kicked me a little harder." He rubbed his belly. 

"You need to try to stay calm, Leo." She sat down on the couch and rubbed his belly as he let her. 

"But how can I stay calm when my brothers are in trouble?" 

"We also got a ransom call for you." She said. 

"A ransom call?" 

"They want you and you alone to meet them down at the docks tonight to get your brothers back." Splinter said. 

"I’ll do it." Leo said. 

"You know it’s dangerous in your condition." April said. 

"I know, but what choice do we have? I will get my brothers back." 

"We’ll have to have Casey come over to help me watch the twins, and Leatherhead on standby to help you, Leo. Splinter will go with you too." 

"I will be watching at a distance, my son."

"Casey shouldn’t be around the twins. He’s sick. He told me earlier." Leo said. 

"I think I can take care of them by myself then. But you will need backup if they are just out to capture you." April said. 

"It’s a risk I’m going to have to take." Leo said. "I will get my brothers back. And I will be very careful." 

………..

It had not been easy to get through the day. Leo had needed his rest if he was going to pull off this rescue tonight. But he couldn’t help but think about his poor brothers in the hands of the Foot. 

April called Leatherhead over and they traced Don, Raph, and Mikey with the trackers under their shells. They were all fine. But they were all in a different place than the Foot headquarters. The enemies were always having different places to try to hide their victims. 

……….

Raph and Mikey weren’t touched in their rooms, but they were fed. They were reluctant to eat, but their hunger overcame their fears. They felt nothing when done, so it wasn’t poisoned. 

Don on the other hand had a visitor. Bishop walked into his room to speak to him. 

"Nice to see you again, Donatello." 

"What do you want with me this time?" Don demanded. 

"What we discussed last time, Turtle." 

"I won’t give away that information to you ever!" Don said angrily. 

"Oh, but you will. I have your brothers here too, and I could torture them if you don’t tell me." Bishop said. 

Don’s eyes widened. 

"And where is your brother, Leonardo? He hasn’t been seen on the streets for a long time." 

"That’s also none of your business. Maybe he’s not here." Don said. It sounded like Bishop didn’t have Leo and he hoped it stayed that way. 

Leo’s life would be in real danger if he was taken, not to mention his child’s life too. 

"Oh, I think he would gladly give himself over to save you and the others." 

"Yes, he would. But he’s not here!" Don tried bluffing that he was out of town. 

"I actually do have information though that just like what happened to you, some sources have told me that your leader is actually pregnant now too. Is that true?" Bishop inquired. 

The man saw Don’s frightened expression. "That's none of your business!" 

"The look you’re giving me is all I need to know, Donatello. Leonardo is still pregnant. That baby of his will be mine for my research, while Karai gets Leonardo when he’s had the baby." 

"NO! I won’t let you harm him or his baby!" Don tried to attack the man as he turned away.

"And you are going to be mine too." Bishop said before walking out. 

"Over my dead body!" Don yelled. 

Don sat down sadly. He really hoped Leo was smart enough to stay away in his condition. Splinter, April and the others would get him and Raph and Mikey out of here somehow. He knew that Leo would gladly sacrifice himself to save his brothers, but he also knew that Leo wanted his child too. And his life meant his child's life.

Don hoped Leo wasn't captured.


	38. Chapter 38

That night, Leo was more than ready to go get his brothers freed from the Foot’s custody. April and Splinter went with him. April drove. 

Leo had his swords on him, but of course, he couldn’t wear his belt anymore. 

LH stayed back at the lair to watch the twins. The lair was the safest place for the twins to be. 

Splinter and April hid behind a warehouse on foot while Leo stepped out into the open, ready for anything. His turtle senses were tingling. He sensed that the Foot was here somewhere, watching him from the shadows.

"Alright, I’m here! Come out and show yourselves! Release my brothers!" Leo ordered.

The Foot clan flowed from the darkness like a malignant wave.

Leo didn’t like the looks of this one bit. He hadn’t been in training for some time because of his pregnancy and he knew that fighting wouldn’t be good for the baby. But right now, if it came to it, he wouldn’t have a choice. He would make sure to protect his belly at all costs. 

"Foolish turtle. You fell right into the trap!" A ninja in front of him said. 

"Where are my brothers?" Leo demanded.

"Back at the base. Now you too can come quietly, or you will be forced. You don’t want something to happen to the baby." 

Leo hated the sneer in the ninja’s voice. "Just give me my family back!" 

"Agent Bishop wants you, so too does Mistress Karai. We are going to give you to them, one way or the other. And you’ll see your pathetic family when you’re there, eventually." 

"Fine. Take me to them." Leo said in a low voice. Fighting was just not a good option right now, otherwise he might have chosen to fight right there and now. 

"One condition, drop your weapons." 

"Give us the whole harness." Another ordered. "Then we will take you to your brothers." 

Leo hated the idea of giving up his katanas, but if he was going to get his brothers back, he was going to have to do as they asked. Leo reluctantly took off his harness and laid it on the ground.

A few ninjas immediately rushed up behind him and grabbed his arms. Leo grunted in pain as his arms were forced behind him and tied up.

"Now we’ll take you to the base." One growled. 

Leo was now forced to follow them. 

"Wait, what about his sedation? We did it with the others." One whispered to the leader. 

"Agent Bishop isn’t sure if the drugs would harm the baby. He wants him in perfect condition." The leader said. 

Splinter and April watched from the distance. They didn’t like how Leo was being treated. But if he was going to get the others back, as Splinter had heard, his son had to do this. 

"I’m sure he’ll be fine, Master Splinter. They want him to be in good shape, as you heard." April said. 

"Yes, but I can’t help but to be more than concerned for him in his condition." Splinter said. 

"We have the trackers on them. We will find them and get them back." April said, placing a hand on the father rat’s shoulder. 

"Yes. We will follow them." 

They called LH. "They have him in their custody, Leatherhead. It was a trap to get Leonardo. But we are going to get him and his brothers out of their custody." 

"Yes, you will, Master Splinter." LH said on the other line. 

"We can’t let Leonardo stay in their evil grip for very long. The life of his child is at risk most of all." Splinter said. 

"We will get them out as soon as we can." April said. 

……….. 

Leo had been forced into the back of transport truck, but the ninjas were unusually gentle with him. It was the order that he be handled ’with care.’ The ninjas could see the size of his belly. There were some of them who would have loved to kick him right there in that spot to pay him back for all the things he had done to them over time. But it was Bishop’s orders to not have him harmed in any way.

Leo knew this was going to be a long drive.   
……… 

Don was currently tied down to a table, being studied right now. More exams had been done on him. He was breathing very hard right now. He felt more than embarrassed than anything as his lower body parts had been examined inside and out. 

Nothing had given the humans any answers as to why he had gotten pregnant before, and Donny wasn’t talking about it. The scar on his belly had even been examined. 

After having looked at the scar, Bishop was just about ready to go inside Don’s belly to do exploratory surgery when an announcement came on. 

"The final turtle has arrived." 

Bishop put down his tools. "It’s your lucky day, Donatello. Now I will find some real evidence of how you possibly got pregnant by looking at your pregnant brother." 

"Don’t you DARE touch him!" Don threatened. "I destroyed your last base, I will do it to this one too!"

"You’re in no position to be making threats, Donatello." Bishop said, brushing off what the turtle had said.

Don knew he would be making that threat a promise.   
……….

Bishop had also had Raph and Mikey examined as well to see if pregnancy was possible for them too. He was trying to see if he could end up with an army of more super soldiers. And neither turtle was happy about it. 

Just like Don, the lower parts had been examined. No evidence came from them either. Of course, they hadn’t been pregnant. Bishop had just seen regular male mutant turtles. Now he was going to get his answers from Leonardo and his child.


	39. Chapter 39

Leo was now struggling as he was now being forced onto a table. He didn’t want to be tied down. He knew what could possibly happen to him; his baby’s life had already been threatened once by Karai. 

It wasn’t easy getting him onto the table. He still had strength in himself to resist, but once he was on the table, Bishop walked into the room, and Leo’s breathing picked up. 

“Ah! What a prize I have this time.” The evil man said. 

“Bishop, don’t do this! Don’t hurt my baby!” Leo shouted at him. “Leave the baby out of this!” 

“The same things that Donatello said when I had him when he was pregnant. Now I wonder how it happened with you. Are you going to tell me, or do I have to take the baby to find out?” Bishop stated. 

“It’s none of your business!” Leo growled at him. 

“Oh, but protecting our planet from aliens is my business. I will take the DNA from your baby and make my army of super soldiers. And if you don’t tell me what I want to know, I’ll get the information soon enough.” Bishop said. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Right now, you are just being examined to see what the baby looks like. I can sense it's not ready to be born yet, am I right?” Bishop asked. 

“Yes.” 

Leo knew he had 10 weeks or less. He had to get out of here before then. But he wasn’t going to tell Bishop how far along he was. 

“Once the baby comes, Karai gets you as the prize, and I get your baby for my research.” Bishop said. 

“No! You harm my baby, and I will kill you!” Leo warned. 

“In a weakened condition, you will do no such thing.” 

“I’m not weak!” 

“Not right now, but you will be after the birth.” 

“The baby is my only concern!” Leo said. 

“It is mine now. Time for your maternity exam.” Bishop began prepping his machines and tools. 

Leo watched the man’s every single move. He was helpless to do anything to protect his belly. His breathing continued to be quick and strained. “My baby will never be yours!” Leo said. 

The baby was picking up more and more on his stress. It began rolling around inside of him and kicking almost constantly. 

Leo tried not to let on that his child was moving inside him, but he knew Bishop would surely pick up on it. The movements were really uncomfortable right now, and Leo could only just try to breathe. 

Bishop came back over to him with a hand held device and it had a probe on the end of it. Leo knew what it was. 

The man put the listening part to Leo’s lower belly. 

“Get that away from me!” Leo squirmed. 

Bishop ignored him and put it back on him. He was trying to find the heartbeat. 

Leo squirmed some more. 

“Hold him still.” Bishop ordered. 

Some men came over and held Leo’s body still while Bishop finally found what he was after. 

Leo froze when he heard the sound. It was that speedy, gushing sound when he usually heard it on Don’s machine at home. Leo closed his eyes sadly. 

“It has a good strong heartbeat, Leonardo. You should be proud of it.” Bishop taunted. 

Of course Leo was proud of his baby, but he wasn’t happy that the enemy had found his child’s heartbeat. That joy was only meant for him. 

“Now it’s time to see what it looks like.” 

The men continued to hold him still as a machine was prepped. But then Bishop picked up a syringe and needle. 

Leo didn’t want anything injected into him. He knew the enemy would love to harm his child with drugs. 

Bishop now came over to the bound turtle. He instantly gave Leo the injection in his upper arm. 

Leo struggled some more. 

“Just relax, Leonardo. It was just a muscle relaxant. It won’t harm the baby.” Bishop said. 

“You don’t know that!” He said angrily. 

It didn’t take Leo too long to feel his body going numb on him. No! Now he couldn’t even move, save for his head. 

“Don’t do this, Bishop.” Leo pleaded. 

“I’m not going to harm the baby. I just want to see it and do some exams on you. It’s a test I have already done on your brothers too, and none of them were too happy about it either.” Bishop said. 

“What sort of test?” Leo demanded. 

“For you Leonardo, doing an exam on your abdomen and examining your internal anatomy.” 

Leo’s eyes widened at that. Right now, he wished he hadn’t had that injection. 

“It’s going to be right after you are scanned for the baby’s looks.” Bishop said and he put gel on Leo’s belly and began the scan of the ultrasound. 

Bishop looked carefully to get the image where he wanted it. First, it was just the usual blue and black screen. He looked at an organ that did resemble a uterus, and then inside, was a little mini turtle. It was moving about, kicking at Leo’s belly, as if it was stressed out, like its father. 

“Nice movements too, Leonardo.” Bishop said. 

Leo could only lay his head back in frustration. He winced at a good kick in the side. 

Bishop looked at the baby’s organs and bones and saw they were all fully formed. It had the same number of fingers and toes that Leo had. The heart was also seen beating and heard as well. Bishop tried zoning in on the little tail, but the legs got in the way. 

Then Bishop changed the image to 3D looks. The image was now brown, and the baby’s face and body could be seen moving about much more clearly. “Here, Leonardo,” Bishop said as he turned the screen toward the turtle, “here is a image in 3D of your child.” 

Leo couldn’t help but look. He had never seen his baby in that way before. But the more he saw him/her move about and see its face, the more he wanted the baby. His eyes softened greatly. Leo couldn’t help it as tears came to his eyes. 

“The baby is just a mini you.” The man said and now turned the screen off. “Pity the legs were in the way. Would have been nice to see the sex too.” 

Leo’s eyes hardened again when the image was turned off. “That’s my son or daughter! You can’t have it!” 

“Now for the exam.” Bishop said and he pushed the machine aside. He ignored the gel on Leo’s belly for the time being. He may have needed to turn the machine back on.

Bishop nodded his head, and the men now began to pull at something down at the end of the table. 

Leo didn’t like this. 

Some stirrups were brought out, and then Leo’s ankles were untied. Now his legs were being spread apart. 

Leo’s heart rate went up, and his breathing sped up again. “NO! Don’t touch me!” He yelled. He was still able to move his tail a bit, and he instantly made it clamp up to his body as hard as he could. 

Bishop had now put some plastic gloves on his hands. “This won’t be pretty, Leonardo, but it must be done. Bring that machine back over here.” He said. 

Leo struggled hard to move his legs, but the drug was strong. The men made sure his legs stayed in the stirrups. Now Leo knew he had a feeling of how Don must have felt when he was being raped. 

“Agent Bishop, I think the turtle’s breathing is heavier.” The man on Leo’s right leg said. 

“Its more than likely the weight of the baby is making him breathe harder. Its pressing on his organs.” Bishop said. “And he’s scared right now, not liking what’s going to happen.” 

Leo used all the power that he could to keep his tail in place, but Bishop got his tail out of the way and had it held out of the way by one of the assistants. 

The ultrasound was started up again, and put on Leo’s lower abdomen, below where his belt would have been. It was concentrated on the organs down there. But Bishop now did something else. 

Leo held back a cry of pain as his insides were invaded. His eyes were filled with tears. 

“Ah! I see the organ holding the baby is just behind the testicles. It’s like a uterus of sorts.” Bishop declared proudly of his findings. “Now I wonder how that uterus got back behind the testicles?” 

“Stop… please!” Leo moaned. His eyes were closed tight, trying to keep his tears in. 

“Almost done. But now I must examine the internal anatomy.” Bishop said. 

“No!” Leo shouted. He wasn’t going to let him do that to him too. 

………

It was all done. The exam was all done. Leo had never felt more embarrassed in his life. He felt completely violated, and all this was just to determine how he had gotten pregnant. 

Bishop had found an exit in the vas deferens tubes in his body, from the womb, but it had sealed the tube back up and attached to it behind the reproductive organs of Leo. This must have happened with Don too. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that an egg had passed into you somehow back at the beginning, Leonardo, from what I have found in the scar tissue behind your reproductive organs.” Bishop said. “And I bet it happened to Donatello too. I’ll have to re-examine him more carefully.” 

“Leave my brother alone!” Leo yelled. “He’s been hurt enough!” 

“And though there is a uterus inside you right now, I couldn’t find an exit point in it. I bet that’s why Donatello had to have a c-section. And I will do the same to you too, when the time is right.” Bishop said. 

Leo was getting more angry by the minute that Bishop was finding out these things, but it did help though that he knew these things too. Of course, he already knew that the womb would rupture if it wasn’t opened by c-section at the time when he was to go into labor. 

“For right now, I’m done with him. Take him to his room.” Bishop ordered. 

Leo’s stomach was cleaned off, then he was helped to his feet, and taken out of the exam room. He was just beginning to regain some feelings in his legs just enough to take some steps, but he was dragged most of the way. 

Leo thought that he was going to be placed in a dungeon like cell, but instead, he was brought into a nice looking room that had a bed and Japanese styled art in it. It also had a toilet and sink. Some bonds were put on his wrists however. They would keep him in the room. They would shock his wrists if he passed a certain boundary without it being deactivated. 

“It’s a virtualization room. Karai has said that you are much like a Japanese warrior like her, so Bishop had this room designed specifically for you to make you feel more comfortable and not stress your baby too much.” One man said before departing. 

The pregnant turtle looked around the room for an escape route, but there were none. There was a vent in the ceiling for air to pass in, but it was too small to get into. He went over to the bed and sat down. It felt comfortable enough, but Leo knew he was just a prisoner now, like his brothers. He wanted to see them so badly. 

He pulled his legs up to his body carefully without applying pressure to his belly, and he buried his face into his arms and couldn’t help but cry. He wanted to go home.


	40. Chapter 40

April, Casey, Splinter, and Leatherhead were planning on getting the turtles all out tonight. But they needed to hurry, as they didn’t know how long the brothers could last in that horrible place. 

Casey didn’t care that he was sick anymore -joining up with the others- while April would be staying there at the lair to offer tech support and watch the babies; the boys were being the rescue party. Leo was the most vulnerable and there was a high risk he could go into labor while being imprisoned and causing him to be stressed out. 

Casey drove the Battle Shell to where the signals were being given off by the trackers placed under the rim of the turtles’ shells.   
………..

Bishop went back to the room where Don was to examine him some more after he had examined Leo. 

Donny squirmed as Bishop came towards him with his intention to examine him internally again. "Stay away from me!" Don screamed at him. This treatment was surely going to bring back some terrifying memories in the poor turtle. 

"I’m not going to do that this time, Donatello, but I do need an ultrasound of your organs again." Bishop said. 

This didn’t soothe Don’s nerves that much, and his breathing remained heavy. 

"Your pregnant brother gave me so much information, and that’s why I need to re-examine you." Bishop said. 

Don gasped. He was afraid of what information he had found out from Leo. 

Bishop ran the probe over Don’s lower plastron. He looked for the vas deferens tubes. And indeed, he found them, and very carefully, he found a scarred spot. "Looks like you indeed have a scar on the vas deferens tube too."

"What are you talking about?" Don asked. 

"Seems the uterus that I found in your brother, you had it too, and the egg had somehow exited into your body cavity behind your male reproductive organs, and hooked itself in place that way. Then it started growing. That’s what I found from Leonardo. And I also found that there is no exit point in the uterus." Bishop explained. 

Don knew about that. There would only be an exit when it ruptured during labor. But there was not a way for the baby to exit a male body when this happened. 

"I’m going to love cutting him open anyway to retrieve the baby, and Karai can get her prize right after." Bishop said.   
Don really hated Bishop’s twisted sense of humor. He wanted to kick his face in so hard, but of course, couldn't, tied to the table as he was.

Thankfully, it seemed that Leo hadn’t told Bishop anything. It was just what Bishop had found out while performing the ultrasound on his brother.

"You didn’t hurt Leo, did you?" Don demanded. 

"No more than necessary to do the exam. He’s fine, Donatello, I assure you." The man said. 

"I will be the judge of that. I want to see him." 

"In due time." Bishop said.   
……….

Splinter, LH, and Casey were now on their way to rescue the four turtles. They were now climbing into the ventilation shafts to avoid being caught both on camera and by Bishop's commandos. The space seemed a bit more cramped though for Leatherhead, but he was able to keep pace with them.   
……….

Leo was not happy at being locked up in this room alone, no matter how pretty it was. Underneath, it was just as ugly and lonely as any other cell in this evil place. He had now finished his sad episode. 

"I have to get us out of here, Little One." Leo said. "I can’t let the evil man hurt you." He rubbed his belly, trying to offer his baby some comfort. But while he was trying to offer comfort, Leo all of a sudden, felt a pain shoot through his stomach. 

Leo grimaced. He was sure there was a video camera somewhere in this room, and he didn’t want to be caught experiencing pain. But the pain intensified. 

"Oh no! I can’t be going into labor! Please, not now!" Leo moaned. He laid back, and clutched his stomach, his eyes closed, and teeth clenched in pain. 

Leo tried his best to breathe as the pain felt like it was going to squeeze his middle inwards. Even back at the beginning of his pregnancy, he didn’t think he had felt any stomach pain this bad before. 

After two aggravating minutes, the pain finally passed. Leo slowly moved, panting hard. Now he knew he had to get out of here. He wasn't sure if it had been a real contraction, or a Braxton-hicks contraction.   
……….

Donny was placed back in his room, now that Bishop was done with him for the time being. 

Before this capture, after Devina had been dealt with for the final time, he had been much happier, but now, Bishop had made him uncomfortable again. He felt like he had been violated again. But this time, no pregnancy was going to result. Though the evil man was sure he was going to find a way to make it happen. 

Don knew that he and his brothers still had the trackers under their shells. His friends had to be on their way to rescue them by now. He missed his kids greatly right now, and he hoped Leo was ok.   
………

Splinter, Casey, and Leatherhead crawled out of the vents and began trudging through the hallways to find the turtles. Splinter was sensing they were nearer all the time, and LH had a handheld tracker that confirmed the rat's intuition. Casey had on a bag that had an extra set of weapons for each turtle that they found. 

The trio were more than happy to fight the Foot ninja or commandos they came in contact with. One even hit an alarm that alerted the place that there were intruders. 

The trio knew they needed to hurry to get the turtles out of here.   
……….

All four turtles perked up in their rooms when they heard the alarm go off. Their friends and father had to be here! They were getting out of here!

Raph and Mikey both began pulling again at their chains. Don did too. But the shackles weren’t coming off easily.   
………..

They soon found the first turtle’s room. Leatherhead tore through the door, and it was Mikey who they found first. 

"Michelangelo!" Splinter cried out. 

"Master Splinter!" He was still tugging at the chains. 

Splinter ran to his youngest son and embraced him. "Are you alright?" 

"I’m fine, but Bishop touched me in the worst possible way!" Mikey all but cried out. 

"There will be time to talk about this later, my son, but I promise, he will pay." Splinter said angrily. 

LH gladly broke Mikey’s bonds. Then Casey gave him the nunchuks. Then it was on to the next turtle’s room. 

Next was Donny. He was more than relieved to be out and get his Bo staff back. 

Then Raph, who got his sais back. 

Leonardo was a little harder to find, but he was finally found, and broken out. His wrists were shocked before they were gotten off, leaving some burn marks on them. 

There was no time to waste, they had to get out of here. 

When Bishop saw where they were, he shouted, "No! Get those turtles! Don’t let the pregnant one escape!" 

Don was helping Leo move, with an arm over his brother's shoulders. Leo’s other arm tried to support his swollen belly. It wasn’t easy to move when it felt like there was a 25 pound heavy weight in your belly that was like a bowling ball that could knock you over. 

Thankfully, Leatherhead was ready to carry him if necessary. 

A swarm of commandos and Foot ninja began to surround the turtles, man, rat, and croc. 

"Just give us the pregnant one." 

"No way, Foot creeps!" Mikey said and attacked. 

"Bring it on! I have been aching for some payback!" Raph said and attacked. 

Everyone but Don and Leo fought. They stayed directly in the center of the protective circle that had formed around them.  
..............

Eventually, the guys escaped from Bishop’s base and headed back to the lair. 

Don had Leo lay down in the bed area in the back of the truck. 

"You alright, Leo?" Donny asked. 

"I think so." Leo said. 

"What do you mean you think so?" 

"I was under so much stress, that I don’t know if… I’m in labor, Don." Leo said. 

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted. 

Raph was driving home, but he was now forced to stop. They were far enough away from the base now. 

"What do you mean you’re in labor?" Casey asked. 

"I said I don’t know if I’m in labor, Casey." Leo said. "I had a horrible pain in my stomach when I was there." 

"Did it come back?" Don asked. 

"No. Not for the moment." Leo said. 

"How long ago?" 

"Not too long ago." 

"Raph, just in case, we need to get Leo home right away." Don ordered. 

"Got it!" Raph said and stepped on it. 

Plus it was a good idea to get away before the enemy came looking for them.


	41. Chapter 41

When they got home, a monitor was put onto Leo's stomach to monitor him for contractions. Another belt was wrapped around him to monitor the baby's heartbeat. He was also put on an IV and heart monitor. The burns on his wrists were also medicated and bandaged up.

The baby was clearly showing some signs of distress because of Leo's distress.

Don quickly got online and tried to look up anything that he could do to stop the contractions. Thankfully, since they had been home, Leo hadn't experienced any contractions. But Don would monitor him for the next 24 hours just to make sure that he was okay.

April and Leatherhead hovered anxiously over his shoulder as his eyes skimmed the computer screen.

Don did find some drugs that could help calm contractions and even Braxton Hicks contractions as well.

Tocolytic medicines that are used to stop preterm labor include:  
Terbutaline.  
Indomethacin.  
Nifedipine.  
Magnesium sulfate.

Don really didn't want his brother having to go through what he went through with the BH contractions. The drugs would have to be given as injections into Leo's IV.

Everyone was extremely concerned about Leo and his baby. For right now, Leo was going to be on bed rest. Just until everything was deemed ok, and the baby didn't seem distressed anymore. But if he just had BH contractions, then Don would give him some Tributelene, a drug that would help to ease those contractions.

April went to get the Tributelene.

During the 24 hour watch, Leo had had a few contractions, and they were very uncomfortable for him, but they weren't constant; every few hours.

Don had also treated and bandaged his brother's wounds too, especially Raph's wrists, from having pulled on the shackles and cutting into his wrists.

After the 24 hour watch, Don put all the results together to be sure, and it was found out that Leo was only having Braxton Hicks contractions.

"It's going to be alright, Leo. These contractions are only the practice ones. I think that the distress you were experiencing just brought them on a little stronger." Donny explained. "But still, take it easy." He was now removing Leo's IV and monitoring equipment. "The baby has also calmed down, and now it is more critical than ever that you remain stress free."

"I know, Donny, but it's not always easy when I worry about you, Raph, and Mikey every time you leave." Leo said.

"And after what just happened, maybe it's time we went back up to the farmhouse. We don't need any more enemies trying to get at us for the remainder of your pregnancy." Donny advised.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Leo agreed with him. "But this time, avoid that abandoned cabin."

Donny smiled for a brief moment.

The turtles had all been affected by what Bishop had done to them. Now that the crisis with Leo and his baby was over, all the turtles became a bit more withdrawn, but Don and Leo stuck together, as their exams had been nearly the same.

It had been interesting to find out about what had happened to them during the pregnancies, but it had still been all too scary for them to have exams forced on them.

When Leo announced that they go back to the farmhouse, all the turtles, rat, and humans agreed that it was a good idea; at least until after Leo's baby was born.

Packing began immediately.

Leo was not allowed to carry anything heavy. Some of the more important medical equipment was brought along for the sake of the pregnancy, and Leatherhead was coming too.

Leo had 10 weeks or less before it was time for the baby to come, and he had to avoid stress if he wanted to avoid preterm labor. He was now on the Tributelene to make sure that his BH pains stayed in check, but then there was always the pool of warm water to use as well.

...

Once out at the farmhouse, it felt like a relief for everyone to be out of the city.

It seemed to Leo that the next week was never going to come for him. Don had his laptop to help monitor his health, but Leo also wanted to get online to look at the website.

When Don decided not to use it, he gave Leo the laptop.

He was now 30 weeks along. He read on the website:

The fetus now weighs about 3 pounds. He or she will gain about half a pound a week until week 38. 

You may be starting to experience some swelling of your ankles and legs.

Your uterus is now about 4 inches above your belly button. It may feel like you are running out of room as your uterus grows up under your ribs. However, your fetus, placenta and uterus will continue to get larger, you still have 10 weeks to go. The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 35 pounds. About half of this weight is concentrated in the growth of the uterus, the placenta, the baby and in the volume of amniotic fluid. At this point, you should be gaining about a pound a week.

Leo thought that he felt too fat already. He needed constant reminders that he just had the glow of a 'mother', but acknowledged that he was supposed to be large at this stage.

His baby sitting on his pelvis was also getting on his nerves.

As much as Bishop had affected the turtles, the baby shower for Leo still needed to be kept underway. It was just going to have to be held up here at the farmhouse instead. The incident had interrupted the baby shower plans entirely.

April would let the family recover for a little while to let them get the anger and feeling of helplessness out of the way, then she would try to help them to start to feel better.

Right now, the turtles just wanted to be left alone mostly. They felt like they had all been violated right now.

Leo couldn't help himself as he often found himself crying over what had happened. Don or Splinter would try to comfort him. But the same thing went for Mikey too. He had really bad nightmares, and he was now sleeping with Donny.

Leo wanted to offer some love to his baby brother, but it just wasn't a good idea sleeping with him when he needed the space for himself in the bed; with his swollen belly and all. But he could offer hugs and let his brother feel his baby move, which did make him feel better too.

...

A few weeks passed, and now everyone was tired of being miserable. Mikey was trying to make everyone happy again, though it wasn't all that easy. The twins made everyone smile when they laughed.

Donny was proud of them and they were now over a year old. He was just so happy that the twins had never been found and taken by Bishop or Karai. It had been bad enough when Lavish had taken them.

Leo was beginning to wonder if the city was going to be safe for his family to be able to raise the kids in?

He was still having BH contractions, but the shots helped a lot. Don wouldn't let him have no more than 2 a day. Other than that, he had to use the pool filled with water to help with the pains. Don also didn't want the drug to have an adverse effect, as it could make his brother go into preterm labor.

Leo was also having problems with going to the bathroom a lot more too. But this time, he was glad that it wasn't about throwing up. The weight of the baby was putting some more pressure on his bladder.

Leo did breathing exercises, and some daily walking outside to keep himself in shape. That's all about he could do now, but it was great that the weather was warm out again. He was now going swimming a lot more as well.

But whenever Leo would want to wander away from the house, it was imperative that he didn't go alone.

April had finally reminded Leo's family of the baby shower. Now they were all more than willing to get prepared for a party.

Leo was now told to try to increase his amount of sleep during the day. Though he hated sleeping all the time, he didn't get that much sleep at night because of the baby. He tried to take at least 2 naps in the daytime.

Donny most of all couldn't blame Leo for feeling restless. His brother wanted to be slim again, and wanting to train again, but with only about 6 weeks to go, Junior would be here before they knew it.

Leo was still eating as healthy as ever. He knew that both he and Junior needed the calories, and the baby's main job was just to grow now. He was putting on about a pound a week.

At 34 weeks now, it was time to give Leo his baby shower. Everyone was ready. Leo needed a bit of happy excitement, and it was just for Junior.


	42. Chapter 42

Now that he was 34 weeks, the baby now was approximately 18 inches long and weighed about 5.25 pounds. 

It was time for Leo to have some supplies for Junior when the baby came, though Leo felt that he was already ready for the baby to be born. He had been practicing with Don’s twins since the day they were born. 

One day, Leo was just getting ready for a walk before lunch, and planning a nap afterwards, when Mikey motioned for him to come inside. 

It was a nice day outside, and Leo loved the outdoor air now. He was outside most of the time these days when he wasn’t sleeping.

"I’m going on my walk, then lunch, and going to bed, Mikey." Leo said. 

"But we were wanting you to join us for lunch a little early today. Can you make an exception, Leo?" Mikey tried to sound cheerful. 

Leo could see in his brother’s eyes that he was serious. "Alright, but just this once."

They went in through the back door and into the living room. 

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted the moment the door to the living room opened.

Leo nearly fell backward in shock. "What… what’s going on?" Leo asked in surprise. 

"It’s your very own baby shower, Bro." Raph said happily. "Ya gonna need things for Junior." 

Leo hadn’t even suspected that he was going to get a baby shower. He thought his baby was just going to use Don’s twins' hand-me downs. 

"Thanks guys, but you didn’t have to do this." Leo said. 

"It’s only fair, Leo, that your baby gets its own things too. They don’t need to share everything with mine." Don said.

"Thanks." 

"Over here, Leonardo. It is best you sit down." Leatherhead said as he guided Leo to the couch.

Leo lowered himself down slowly, as to not aggravate his pelvic joints. Being pregnant was getting harder on his body now.

Some lunch was brought over to him first to enjoy; mostly fruit and veggies. But there was some junk food too for Mikey, Raph, and Casey, but Leo didn’t want any of that stuff, though he did have a strong craving for ice cream.

Right after lunch, ice cream was brought out for dessert.

Leo’s eyes widened. Just what he wanted! Some vanilla ice cream. 

Some of his family had some chocolate syrup put on theirs to make it tastier. LH didn’t have any of it though. He had never had a taste for ice cream or sweets. He had more of a preference for meat.

The croc had eaten some turkey, beef, and ham for his lunch.

Then, after lunch, the gifts were presented. 

There was a brand new cradle to use up here at the farmhouse for the baby, some diapers, some clothes for when winter came -or to disguise Junior- some baby books, a name book, some blankets, some lullaby tapes, some baby rhyme books and fairy tale books.

Leo was so happy that he had tears in his eyes when he was done opening all his gifts. "Thank you, guys. I love it all!" 

"It’s great that you do, Leo. Now, there is another matter to discuss." April said. 

"What’s that?" Leo asked. 

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Mikey asked. 

Leo sighed. "No. Though I want the name to be Japanese in origin." 

"We think that a name should be chosen before the baby comes, and we are going to help you decide on names." April said. 

Leo could see that she was serious. "Uh, April, I really think that should be my decision. One of you got me this baby name book. Let me go through it and decide." 

"Yes, the choice is his alone." Splinter said. 

"Aww! I so wanted to help with the name picking." Mikey whined. 

"Thanks Mikey, but the final choice is mine. But thanks for offering to help everyone. I have had fun, but now I really need to go on my walk and then take my nap." Leo said. 

"Very well, Leonardo. We will put your stuff in your room." Splinter said. 

"Thanks." Leo said as he got up off the couch and walked out the door. Leo was staying in his own room right now so he could have extra privacy. 

"I’ll go with him." Raph said, then followed his pregnant brother outside.

Mikey found Leo’s walks to be boring, but he knew Leo liked his exercise. 

Everyone began moving Leo’s new stuff upstairs.

Leo and Raph were only gone for about half an hour. When they came back, Raph was literally having to support Leo he was so tired. Raph helped him up to the room, and tucked him into bed. Leo was already out. 

When Raph came out of the room, Don was standing outside it. "Is he ok? I saw you supporting him." 

"Yeah, he’s fine. He was just so tired." Raph replied. "I don’t blame him. The weight of that baby must easily exhaust him."

"I don’t think it's that, Raph. The baby keeps him up at night. I should know, and I carried double that weight." Don said, walking away. 

"But is he going to be put on bed rest at all?" Raph asked. 

Don turned. "I don’t think so. He should be allowed as much freedom as possible right now. Maybe in his 9th month only if it requires it." 

"It really seems like such a long time yet before Junior’s gonna be here." Raph said. "I love Leo, but I’m just tired of all the complaining." 

"I know. We all are, but it won’t be for much longer, Raph. At least Leo isn’t making you wear that empathy belly this time." Don smirked at the hothead.

"Why you little-!" Raph suddenly bolted at Don. He didn’t need to be reminded of that embarrassment. 

Don took off down the stairs and outside to take the racket away from Leo’s room.


	43. Chapter 43

Once Leo entered the 36th week, he was now officially in his ninth month. His baby would stand a good chance at surviving if it was born now, but Leo wanted it to be more closer to its due date to be born. Now the official birth was just a waiting game. 

Leo’s Braxton Hicks contractions were becoming more powerful all the time the closer he got to the birth. Sometimes they made him very nervous. 

Donny and Leatherhead were keeping a very close watch on him now. He was checked on every week now, or when he would feel something was wrong. They were both now encouraging him to stay off his feet as much as possible, and if he must be up, stay closer to the house. The weight of the baby was becoming too much for his legs to handle. They would swell up a lot more easily now. 

If he was to be up and about, Leo was encouraged to do some relaxing activities. 

Leo still kept up on the new breathing techniques that he had invented; since the baby was putting more pressure on his internal organs and nearly pushing up into his ribcage. 

Leo was doing a lot of reading about his pregnancy, but more than anything, preparing for labor; if it should happen before his C-section. He was so nervous these days, but he was proud of how his child was progressing. He took notes of what could be happening with the baby the next few weeks, starting with this one. 

Week 36

The baby is about 19 inches long. Weight is around 6 pounds. Between now and birth they may gain about an ounce a day. You may feel contractions of the womb, called Braxton Hicks contractions, which can be used to perform and practice breathing exercises.

"I’ve already got those." Leo said to himself, referring to the BH contractions. He didn’t like reading about internal exams however.

Leo looked down at himself, and tried to concentrate on his breathing for a moment. He wished he could have the luxury of being able to breathe and not have his child pressing on his organs every minute.

Week 37

Typically, Baby now measures 19.5 inches from the head to the heel. Baby weighs up to 7 pounds or 3 kilograms. The head diameter is over 3.5 inches. The water could break at any time.

Leo was a little nervous reading that.

Even though you are three weeks from your due date, you are now considered 'at term'.

That was a little more refreshing to see that his child could survive outside his body at that point. 

Week 38

Baby is about 20 inches and weighs about 7.5 pounds. The amniotic fluid, this is approximately equal to 4 or 5 cups. 

The baby may have reached its final birth position. Most babies are born head first with only about 3 percent coming out feet first. About one in eight births are caesarean.

Leo already knew and accepted he had to have a caesarean birth.

Week 39

The average baby is about 20 inches and weighs about 7.5 pounds. The baby has reached its final birth position. It will be cramped inside your uterus for much movement. Your baby will continue to punch and kick but lower in your abdomen, under your pelvis. The head is about 4 inches in diameter.

Leo knew that his child wouldn't be able to go into his pelvis. That's where he envied the women a little bit. 

Keeping track of your little one's activity level may be a good idea at this time. As space in your uterus becomes more cramped, your baby's kicks and other movements may seem less forceful. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time and do a kick count.

You may be experiencing the nesting syndrome by attempting to clean, cook, shop, and prepare for the new arrival. This is very common, just be careful that you do not wear yourself out.

Week 40

Leo sincerely hoped that would be his last week if Junior wasn’t born before then. 

Baby is about 20 inches and weighs approximately 7.5 pounds. The head has a diameter of about 4 inches. The contractions could begin at any moment. Congratulations!

You are probably getting impatient as you near your estimated due date, but remember, that date was just an estimate based on averages. Your baby is now full term. You are technically not overdue until you have passed 42 weeks. You may still experience another two weeks of pregnancy until your little one arrives. Do not be discouraged, 95% of pregnancies occur in the two weeks prior and two weeks following the due date, only 5% give birth on their due date.

You will feel changes in the fetal activity, more squirming and rolling and less kicking. In addition to the pregnancy discomforts you have been feeling the last couple of months, you may have some discomfort and achiness in your pelvic area, increased backache and heaviness, more difficulty sleeping. More frequent and intense Braxton Hicks contractions; which may now be painful, these will give you a chance to practice your breathing techniques. Due to the lower position of your baby, it will be easier for you to breathe, but you will need to urinate more frequently. 

By the 40th week, you may feel irritable, overly sensitive, restless, and impatient. All of these feelings are normal. Don't worry, you won't be pregnant much longer. If at any time you are concerned about your baby's welfare, or feel that something may be wrong, no matter how vague the feeling is, call and talk to your care provider.

"Whoa! That was a lot to take in," Leo said. But all this information would be good to know about. 

Leo had been feeling a lot more like he wanted to do more cleaning around the house lately, but his family was telling him to relax all the time. This was just one time in his life where he should be taking it easy and let the others take care of him. 

He was already impatient waiting for his baby to arrive. He had been waiting for 9 long months; though probably from the time he had officially accepted being pregnant, it was probably more like seven and a half months. But from the time he counted up after mating with Lavish, it was right on target: nine months. 

June 15th was his due date.

Leo would have given almost anything to have his baby in his arms right now and be slim again. He wanted to train again. He was just more than ready for the pregnancy to be all over with. 

Leo knew that mostly everything he had during this pregnancy was so similar to a human’s, unlike a normal turtle, which had nothing to do with their offspring. But Leo and Don weren't normal turtles. The human part of them wanted them to take care of their babies. 

Leo still drank a lot of tea to settle his stomach when it got upset. But he was also drinking more water and milk than anything as well. The milk was to help keep his calcium levels up. 

Donny was also still doing massage on Leo at times to help him sleep better when the baby was getting on his nerves when he tried to sleep.   
……….

When Leo reached week 38, Donny became more than anxious. It was now time for another exam. 

"Donny, relax. I’m the one who’s supposed to be nervous about the impending birth, not you." Leo said.

"I know, Leo, but it’s just, I was 38 weeks along when I went into labor." Don said.

"And you were nearly into active labor when you finally alerted us." Leo said. 

"I had to be sure first. But like you, I didn’t want you guys worrying over me. You had worried over me enough." Don said.

"And with an impending birth, you don’t want something to go wrong. Not paying attention could cost a baby its life." 

"I know. Please let me know when you feel like you’re in labor before we do your surgery." Don said. 

"Ok. But I’m fine right now. I am still getting those contractions, and they are getting more and more painful, but are still coming on at nearly the same times every day." Leo said. 

"That’s a good thing to keep track of. When it changes and they don’t come on at those times, there’s a good chance it’s real labor. What about kicking?" 

"Oh, it kicks me real well at night, after I eat, and sometimes during my naps. I can count as many as 13 movements in about 30 minutes." Leo said.

"That’s good. It means it’s a good, active baby." 

"I just wish it was able to do its stretching and kicking and punching outside my body now."

"It won’t be much longer. But in today’s exam, Leo, I need to do something a bit different." Don said. 

Leo knew there was going to be an ultrasound for sure, but now, he was slightly shaken. "Do what?"

"I'm going to try to press on your stomach and sides to see if I can feel the baby and the womb." Don said. "Just lay back down and try to relax. I’m not trying to hurt you." 

"Alright." Leo said and laid back down. 

Don began to gently press around Leo's belly. He looked at Leo’s face. He could tell this was uncomfortable for him. 

Leo tried to breathe, and he kept on clenching his stomach at first, but relaxed and let Don examine him. He laid his head back into the pillow.

For Don, he could feel the womb through his sides. It felt nice and thick. And though Leo’s plastron was softer now, it still was difficult to find out where all the baby’s body parts were at the moment, but an ultrasound could do that.

Leo just wanted up off this bed, but before he could, Don did another ultrasound to check on the baby and the womb. 

The baby and womb showed up just fine. Junior's heartbeat sounded normal. Leo loved hearing it.

"I’m so ready to have him or her out of me." Leo said.

"I know you are. But just keep an eye on yourself and the contractions, and kicking. Let me know if anything changes or feels wrong." Don said.

"I will, I promise." Leo said, "Now can I get up?"

"Yes." Don said. 

Leo was helped up off the bed and left the infirmary and went to go anywhere else.


	44. Chapter 44

Another two and a half weeks rolled by. 

Leo groaned in bed as he felt the baby roll and try to squirm within him. He was lying on his left side, but rolled onto his back and slid up so that his shell was resting against his headboard. He placed both his hands on his abdomen. 

“I don’t know how much longer I can put up with you in there, Little One.” Leo said. “I wish you would come out already.” 

The baby seemed to answer him with a well placed kick to the top of his belly, saying that it wanted out too. But the womb was holding fast the last time Don checked. 

Aside from natural feelings in his own body, Leo was glad that his last 10 weeks had gone by without so much as an incident from the city. He missed the lair by now, but with the imminent birth approaching fast, being out here at the farmhouse was for the best. 

Though recently, Casey took Raph to the city for a break from the country life so he could have his urges to bust heads satisfied. Don and Mikey were okay with it here. Don and Leatherhead just needed scientific things to occupy their time. But Leo didn’t want to be their experiment either. 

Leo was not looking forward to today. Another exam was due. Don, April, and Leatherhead were becoming more and more edgy around him, because they knew he didn’t want this anymore. 

They waited until after training to deal with it. That way, Leo’s breakfast would be more digested by then, and he was more calm when watching his brothers train right now. But he still lectured if his brothers weren’t doing their exercises right. 

April had been worried if Leo should even be still watching training right now. 

“I wouldn’t give up watching my brothers because they need to be the best ninjas they can be and with me there to give out pointers to make them even better.” Leo said. “I’m fine, April.” 

Now that Leo was 40 weeks along, he was full term. Amazing he had made it this far considering all the things that had happened to him throughout his pregnancy. 

Leo glanced at the notes he had taken. These days, he had nearly every symptom. 

He was irritable, restless, overly sensitive, the BH contractions were very painful and annoying, he couldn’t hardly sleep anymore, he was just getting desperate to get the baby out of him. 

Leo was more than ready to have his C-section. 

After training, Leo went for his exam with his brother and croc friend. 

“Donny, can you please get this baby out of me?” Leo begged his younger brother. 

“Can you try to wait a little longer?” 

“I can’t take much more of this! I’m so uncomfortable!” Leo tried to sound desperate enough. 

“I know, Leo and we are going to operate soon, but since it is an operation, it is still risky. Leatherhead and I are trying to prepare ourselves enough so that if there are any complications we will be able to deal with them. We are planning your c-section for this weekend, so you just have to hold on for two more days, okay?” Don said. 

"Okay, Donny," Leo agreed dejectedly. He knew he had to wait, but each and every minute seemed like forever; two days was an eternity.

The heavily pregnant turtle laid back and let Don examine him.

“OW!” Leo protested as he hit a tender spot. 

“What?” Don asked in a panic. 

“It just really hurts down there now, is all.” 

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to hurt you.” Don said. He still felt, but more carefully. 

Leo winced in pain. Why was it hurting so much all of a sudden? 

Don was done very quickly this time. “I want you to remain on bed rest, until the weekend. I don't want anything to rupture." Don ordered.

“Fine,” Leo grumbled, even though the thought of bed rest was a torture that he was barely willing to endure. He got up. He didn’t want an ultrasound this time. He was sure the baby was just fine. 

Don and LH wanted to do a sonogram, but Leo was too irritated right now and they didn’t force the issue.   
………..

“So Leo's having his c-section in two days, huh?” Raph asked. 

“Yes, and hopefully nothing will happen before then.” Don said. 

“Well, it will be nice to get the old Leo back. I’m just tired of him being cranky all the time. He’s even carried longer than you, Donny.” 

“I know, but Leo’s also got a single baby. I had twins. Twins come sooner usually. Just remain patient with him a little longer, Raph. You’ve done it for this long.” 

Raph gave a grunt of acknowledgement. He was trying his hardest not to lose it with Leo. He had done so well all these months with keeping his temper more in check.   
………..

It was finally near the end of the week, and Leo was getting more and more frustrated with being pregnant. He wanted to do some more reading because he was bored and restless and he needed something to occupy his mind. And since everyone was busy and even though he knew he should be on bed rest -which restricted him to going to the bathroom and that was it- he decided to go downstairs and grab a book from the bookcase on the main floor.

Leo walked slowly down the hall and made his way downstairs. He selected his book and was just making his way up the stairs when he suddenly felt pain erupt through his lower abdomen. His muscles tightened and he fell to his knees in agony as he grasped the railing to halt his fall. 

Leo tried to take in a breath, but the pain overtook him and he couldn’t help but cry out. “AHHHHH!” He screamed. 

Everyone who was in the house or outside heard the scream and stopped what they were doing in an instant, running into the house. 

Don got inside first. “Leo!” 

“Don!” He heard his name. It came from upstairs. They all ran up the stairs. 

They found Leo halfway up the stairs, clutching his stomach in pain. 

“Leo!” His brothers all said at the same time and went up to help him.

"What's wrong, Leo?" Mikey asked hurriedly. 

“We need to get him to the infirmary. I think the womb has ruptured. Leo, you were supposed to be on bed rest!" Don lectured as he and Mikey helped Leo to his feet.” Don said.

Leo grunted in acknowledgement, and blew out his mouth. He was more than scared now, but he helped as his brothers carried him to the makeshift infirmary that was set up for his c-section. 

Leo was helped to lay down on the cot. Don instantly did an ultrasound. 

“That's what I was afraid of,” Don said in a scared tone. 

“What?” Leo asked, panic in his voice, teeth clenched together in pain.

“Is he ok?” Mikey asked. 

“The uterus ruptured!” Don shouted at the others. "We have to get the baby out of him now!" 

Raph was scared for his older brother. 

Leo laid his head back. 

“Leonardo, you need to stay awake!” Leatherhead said.

“It hurts!” He cried out. 

Leo’s brothers and father were worried, bordering on panic.

"We have to get you ready for surgery now!” Don said. 

Leo knew it was only going to be a short time before he would finally see his son or daughter. But right now, he knew the baby's life was in a crisis, as his own life was too.


	45. Chapter 45

The situation was now very serious.

Leo's life and his baby's were in danger at the moment. The womb had ruptured and could be delivering toxins into Leo's body.

Don, April, and Leatherhead were getting Leo and themselves prepared for surgery.

At the moment, Leonardo was experiencing agonizing pain and was trying to calm himself and breathe through it.

"Just breathe, Leo." Donny encouraged.

Leo had invented his own ways of breathing through his pregnancy, and now he was trying to use them before his surgery. 

Everyone else was waiting outside the infirmary, anxiously awaiting the baby to be born.

An IV was quickly put into one of Leo's arms, and just like with Don, Leo was given a sedative to put him to sleep. It took a few minutes, but Leo went to sleep.

"You'll be a father when you wake up, Leo." April said before he was out.

Leo had given a slight smile. He was looking forward to a moment he had been waiting so long for, but was still anxious about the surgery.

Don put the oxygen mask on over his brother's face to help him breathe easier while he was out. Then they got to work.

Don asked his croc friend if he remembered what he did on him over a year ago.

"Of course I do, Donatello. But with the uterus having ruptured on Leonardo, this is going to be a more difficult surgery." Leatherhead explained.

"I know. We have to save Leo's life." Don said, worried for his brother. "And his baby's."

Don was usually good at being the medic, but because Leatherhead had done this before, he let his croc friend start the surgery.

Just like before, the plastron was softer, and Leatherhead sterilized Leo's lower plastron first, then he made a transverse cut with the scalpel just above the edge of the bladder. It would cause less bleeding and Leo would have a quicker recovery.

Leatherhead cut through Leo's abdominal muscles and tissues, and found the womb in the abdominal cavity.

The womb was open down in the lower region. There was a small tear where fluids had begun to seep out.

Don and Leatherhead saw this and knew the baby had to be gotten out immediately! 

Leatherhead cut away along a part of the womb and made the exit just big enough for Don to reach his hands in and carefully maneuver the baby out of the womb.

Don now had the baby in his arms. April came over and suctioned out the airway.

Within seconds, the baby began to cry. It was a beautiful sound to the ones having delivered it. 

Everyone outside the room were anxious to know how Leo and the baby were doing. 

“Hey, what’s goin’ on in there?” Raph demanded to know. 

Don now came over to the door. “It’s a girl!"

Everyone cheered, but then, Mikey asked, "How's Leo?"

"We are still working on him Mikey. We will tell you when we're done." Don said through the door, "but he's doing fine so far." 

Don now gave April the baby turtle girl after he had clamped and cut the cord. Then he carefully delivered the uterus that he would study later on. April went over and cleaned off the baby turtle on another table.

Leatherhead was watching Leo's vitals and they were all doing good.

Don went through Leo's abdominal cavity to make sure that there was nothing foreign left in there.

There was a bit of extra water like fluid in there that he proceeded to suck out. It had to have been the amniotic fluids that had nourished the baby girl for the last nine months. Don just hoped all this wasn't going to harm his brother. He was an expert on many things, but pregnancy was all new to him.

Once Don and Leatherhead were sure nothing foreign was left behind, they began to close him up. A dissolving thread was used for the inside tissues, and then Leo's plastron was secured with surgical glue and sturdy strips.

While Leo was being patched up, April went out and showed the baby turtle girl to the family. They couldn’t believe at how she looked. 

The baby was practically all turtle. She was lighter than Leo, but had a bit of yellowy color mixed in with the green too. Like a golden green. And she had a touch of orangy-red on her head, from her mom. Her shell, like her dad’s, was a medium green. Her eyes were blue at the moment, but were sure to change later. 

The family was glad though that she had taken on more of Leo’s traits, though they knew that the hair and the skin mix was all from Lavish. 

Don soon came out of the room. Raph was immediately in his face. “How’s Leo?” 

“He’s sleeping right now due to the sedation I gave him. He’ll be awake soon. But he's doing just fine right now, Raph.” Don said. 

“What’s the baby’s name?” Mikey asked. 

“He's never said yet.” Don said. 

“I hope he picked a good one.” Mikey said. 

“How about we introduce Akemi and Virgil to their new cousin?” Casey stated. 

“Oh yeah. Yes, we can do that while Leo is resting.” Donny said, and he and Mikey went to get the twins. 

Raph was more than welcome to go in and check on Leo now. 

Leo looked so peaceful right now. Raph came over to the bed, sat down and took Leo’s hand. Leatherhead had moved him onto the recovery bed in there. 

“You have a beautiful daughter, Leo. Please wake up.” Raph tried to coax him awake. 

It took a little longer, but Leo did wake up from his sedation eventually. 

The instant he awoke and looked down, expecting to see his big belly, he instantly had a panic attack that he saw his stomach had flattened down a bit. 

“It’s ok, Leo. Your baby is right here.” April said. 

Leo sighed his relief. “What is it?” 

“A girl, Fearless leader.” Raph said with a grin. 

Leo saw that he was still hooked up to the IV. April was now approaching him with the bundle. 

Leo was nervous, but he was anxious to see the baby that he had carried and waited so long to see. He prepared his arms to hold his daughter. 

Once he carefully took the baby from April, the whole family was now marveling at Leo holding his daughter for the first time. He supported her head on his left arm, and held her body in that hand and on his chest. His right hand held her too, but he was also able to peel the towel out of the way to reveal her little face. 

Leo was so proud to finally have this moment to meet his new baby. He noticed the small amount of hair on her head and the skin color on her. She was a beautiful baby. 

“So?” Mikey asked. 

Leo looked up at him.

“What’s her name?” Don asked. 

Leo looked back down and smiled. “Natsuki. It means ‘summer child' in Japanese.” Leo said. “We can call her Suki for short.” 

“That is a beautiful name for her, my son.” Splinter said. 

“I’m assuming everyone’s seen her already?” Leo asked. 

“Yes. Though not everyone has held her.” Don said. “And she has already even met her cousins.” 

“You feel better now, Leo?” Mikey asked. 

Leo looked over at him. “I feel much better, thank you. I’m glad I’m not pregnant anymore.” Leo smiled down at his baby girl and kissed her. 

Natsuki had been born on June 13th.


	46. Chapter 46

A little later after Leo having woke up and held his daughter, now she laid in the cradle next to his bed. Leo couldn't stop looking at the precious baby next to his bed. His family had left them to get some rest. 

Don came into his room to check on his brother. He saw that Leo was awake. 

Leo looked over at Don. 

Don asked him, "How are you feeling, Leo?" 

"I feel so much happier just seeing Natsuki next to me, and I can hold her now." Leo replied. 

"I meant how does your body feel after the surgery?" 

Leo sighed. "I don't know at the moment. The pain killers are still working." 

"I want to examine the incision, and then, do you think you can get up and walk for me? You can develop blood clots if we don't get you up and moving soon." Don explained.

Leo didn't want to risk that happening. He did want to try to get up. He hated being in bed too much anyway. 

"I'll be happy to get out of bed and walk." Leo said. 

Donny smiled, then he came over to the bed and pulled the blanket down to examine Leo's incision site. 

Leo looked down at his belly as well. He still had some fat on his belly, but it had gone down a good amount. He saw the incision too. It looked good, though a little swollen. 

"It looks good for now, but we'll have to keep an eye on it while it heals." Don said.

Leo knew he wouldn't be expecting any less from his brother. 

"Ok, let's get you up bro." Don said and he helped Leo to move ever so slowly from his bed. 

Leo was a little shaky on his feet at first, but Don helped to keep him standing. They walked around his room and a bit outside the room just on that level. Leo didn't want to get too far away from his daughter, but his walking was going to help his recovery time. At least to where he could be mobile again, but still wouldn't be moving about too quickly any time soon.   
.............

It was a few days later before Leo was removed from his IV. He was glad to have it out. It hurt to walk, but Leo wasn’t going to be held down. He was still on strong pain killers too. 

Leo was more than happy to have his body to himself again. It had been an experience that he wouldn't want to go through again. 

Leo was bottle feeding Natsuki. She had taken to the bottle very well. She slept in the new cradle in Leo’s special room. She had a diaper on. Leo wanted to be the sole caretaker of her, but he let his family hold and play with her too.   
...............

A week passed, and Leo felt a little better, but was still sore. He was still in no shape for training. He needed some more time to heal from the birth, as much as he wanted to train already. 

Though training was usually the sole focus of Leo’s life, but with Natsuki now in it, without his training, he wasn’t so bored anymore. He still loved helping Donny with his twins too, but now, Leo didn’t have to feel jealous of Donny being a parent.

Donny hoped that his kids and Leo’s daughter would grow up and be great friends. They were being called cousins after all. And for Akemi, at least she could have another girl to hang with, but he felt a little bad for Virgil. He wouldn’t have a boy cousin to hang with, unless April and Casey had a son some day. 

Virgil and Akemi sometimes got a little jealous of the new baby. Uncle Leo wasn’t paying all that much attention to them anymore. But they would learn to understand some day that younger ones often needed more attention than older ones. 

There were times now when Leonardo would sit outside, either alone or with Natsuki in his arms, and he would reflect on what life would be like for them when they returned to the city in a few weeks. Was it really wise to return to New York? 

Sure, the boys had grown up there, but humans hadn’t known about them growing up. But there were dangerous enemies there that knew they had kids now. Karai would be wanting him back. Agent Bishop would be wanting Natsuki for his evil science, not to mention Don and his twins too to determine how he had gotten pregnant. 

Leo wondered if it was better to move away from New York, for the sake of their children. Maybe they could return in a few years when the kids were older, but while they were still very young and helpless, it was just better to stay here or move far away. 

Leo also knew that his brother, Raph, especially needed battle action though. He saw nothing wrong with him going to the city when he needed to get his frustration and energy out. Any of his brothers were free to go to the city if they wanted to, to take a break from the quiet of the country. Sometimes, Leo would be sure to go too, but he still wasn’t ready for it, because of the amount of recovery left to do. 

Leo got his family together one day to talk. "Everyone, I know you are all wanting to return to New York, but I have come to a decision. For the safety of the kids, until they are a little older, we should not return to the city." 

"What?!" Leo’s brothers said at once. 

"Leo, I have lived out here long enough. I have to bash heads." Raph said. 

"I didn’t say you couldn’t go, Raph. Whenever you or anyone feels you need to go to the city for some entertainment, feel free to go. But this is just for the kids’ safety. You all know that the Foot and Bishop, and the Purple Dragons will be looking for us when we return. We can’t let them find our babies." Leo explained. 

"We could stay up here, have some more peace and quiet. Even walk around outside in the daylight. The town we live near at the moment is far more peaceful."

"What about the lair, Leo?" Don asked. "We can’t let it go to shambles. All of my inventions and projects are there." 

"My video games and comic books are there." Mikey said. "My room." 

"Besides, Leo. This place is supposed to be more of retreat for us. A vacation of sorts. And now that you’ve had your baby, some of us are more than ready to return to the city." Raph said. 

"My son, New York is our real home. I know you are wanting to do what is best for your daughter and niece and nephew, but your brothers are right. We were only to stay up here until after your birth and recovery." Splinter said. 

"But Sensei, up here, the kids can experience more outside life. The air, the sunshine. Not the dank, dark coldness of the sewer." Leo said. "I was just wanting my daughter and even Don’s twins to have a more better start in life than we did in the sewers. Sure, we would make sure to teach them how dangerous humans are, with the exception of the few human friends we have. But there is just more freedom and open space up here to play in." 

"They’re still too young yet to know what real fun is, Leo." Raph said. 

"It’s when they get older that we would have to watch them more carefully. Right now, Natsuki is just a cute little baby that you can hold and take care of. But I know I am ready to return home. We will all make sure to take turns babysitting. That’s all we can do, but the city needs our help in defending it." Don said. 

"I want to run the rooftops with my bros again." Mikey said. 

"Well, I just wanted to run all this by you just for the safety of the kids was all." Leo said. 

"You like helping people too, don’t you, Leo? You always did before." Don said. 

"I know. I hate to see the innocent picked on, but being pregnant had just changed my perspective a bit more." Leo said. 

"Yeah. Being pregnant can feel like it changes a lot of things. Bringing new life into the family really did change things for us. That’s why back in the city, it was so rare for all four of us to be able to go out at once. But we can’t leave the kids alone right now. And they would overwhelm Master Splinter by himself." Donny said. "So we have to take turns helping watch them back home, and make sure we don’t get captured. It’s going to take all of us to raise them." 

"Alright guys. We’ll go back to New York in a few weeks, but if the humans start seeming to be really doubling their efforts to find us, promise me that if we have to, for the safety of the kids, that we will get out of there." Leo pleaded. 

"We promise." The family said in unison. 

Leo was satisfied for now that his family knew how concerned he was. All of them did care for their small family.   
……….

Six weeks after giving birth, Don deemed Leo well enough to start lifting small weights in his hands and some leg exercises. He wanted to make sure Leo wasn’t going to tear his incision before he deemed him ready for the bigger, more active katas.

Leatherhead was taken home back to the city when Casey and April went back to the city. Donny could take care of Leo now. 

Leo was more than happy that he was beginning his ninja training again. He wanted to get back into his sleek shape. His stomach still had baby fat, but it was going down. He had stretch marks on his sides, but he had learned to think of them a trophy of sorts to have come through all that hardship to gain his fatherhood. And his pregnancy had been a bit more stressful than Donny’s, if maybe equal to it.

They both had had incidents of being captured and their babies threatened by their enemies to be taken from them. And stress from outside factors.   
………..

By the end of the 3rd month being at the farmhouse, just like his brothers, Leo too had an urge to return to the city. He wanted to race the rooftops with his brothers again. But that promise would be kept for the kids’ safety if it came to it. 

Raph was more than ready to step down as the leader, and Leo was more than ready to claim it back. He had much catching up to do. 

A week later, Don said that Leo could now start some light sparring with his brothers again. But Raph still needed to watch himself. There was still a slight risk of Leo tearing his injuries. He wasn’t quite ready for a full blown sparring yet.

Two weeks later, the family was now packing up to go back to New York. They were more than ready to go home. 

April was driving Leo and Don home in her van with the babies this time. Raph and Mikey would be taking the Battle Shell home. 

Leo sat in the back seat by his daughter. Even at 9 weeks old now, Leo still wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight for long. He had a real strong attachment to her. And Don had the same loving attachment to Akemi and Virgil. 

The whole family was glad to be going home, and with a wonderful new addition to the family.


	47. Chapter 47

Epilogue

The next night after getting home, April, Casey, and Splinter watched all three children while all four of the turtles had a night on the town; welcoming back its greatness. 

Leonardo was happy to be back in action as the leader of the team, but more than proud to be a new father as well. And Don, Raph, and Mikey were glad to have him back in action too. It hadn’t been the same on the streets without him. 

And though the alien mothers had been kicked out, Leo and Don really hoped that the mothers wouldn’t come back for their children. They didn’t even want to tell their children about their biological mothers. They felt that neither of them needed to have either female in their or their children's lives as they could well perform the role of both parents. 

But the family knew that Virgil would probably end up with the most questions one day as to why he looked more like a lizard than a turtle. 

And the turtles would try to handle the questions the best they could when the time came. But the main answer for all the kids as to why their mothers didn’t live with them would be that they and their fathers just weren’t right for each other.

All in all, the Anolis females had given the turtles three great gifts. And now they had hope for a future generation. Leo and Don were looking forward to having fresh students to work with. And they were excited with experiencing being loving and protective fathers, and having Raph and Mikey around to back them up. And if they were lucky, Raph and Mikey would have kids too one day, but hopefully in the more the conventional way. 

Master Splinter was happy that at least two of his sons had been able to start families, and was certain that his teachings would also be passed on too; even if he passed away when the kids would be too young to remember him. And he knew his sons would make sure his grandchildren would know him through his ninja teachings and wisdom. Leonardo would surely see to that. And he planned to enjoy his grandchildren while he could.

Later that year, at Christmas time, Leo was proud to introduce Natsuki to the big gathering of friends that came for dinner. He especially loved introducing her to Usagi, the Daimyo, and his son. He had been real happy to see them since he hadn’t been allowed to go to the Battle Nexus tournament. 

"Welcome to fatherhood, Leonardo. I know you will be a great father." The Daimyo said. 

"Thank you, Great Daimyo." Leo bowed respectfully to him. 

Usagi asked if he could be considered as an uncle to her. 

"Sure. Though she won’t see you as much as my brothers. But you are like a brother to me, Usagi." Leo replied. 

"What of her mother?" Usagi asked. 

Leo’s smile faded. "That’s not easy to talk about."

"I see. You don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want to," the white rabbit said.

"Let’s just say that, like with the mother of Donny’s twins, we weren’t a good match." Leo said. "We went our separate ways."

"So, how old is Natsuki?" Ue, the Daimyo’s son, asked.

"She is 6 months old," Leo said. "I still feed her from a bottle, but I am going to start her on soft solid food before too long."

Christmas time was just a great time of year to be with all your closest friends and family, and this Christmas was the best for Leo. He had his beautiful daughter with him, and he had his figure and stamina back, and was able to do his usual activities again without any restrictions.

Leo was pleased with how life was treating him again.

The End


End file.
